13 In the Mind's Eye
by miss37
Summary: The five year mission is over, and Jim Kirk is promoted to Admiral. However, his ability to attract trouble has not diminished as he and the crew tangle with a vengeful telepath who blames Jim and Bones for the death of someone they cared about.
1. Chapter 1

Jim Kirk stood on the Bridge of the Enterprise. He was holding Alex, his two year old son, as he looked out the viewport…for possibly the last time. He and his crew had been on a five-year mission, and it was now over. "Daddy," Alex said.

Jim looked at him and smiled. "We're going in a moment," he replied.

The Enterprise was docked above Earth, and he would disembark and be carried down in a shuttle along with the rest of his crew, including Carol Marcus Kirk, his wife, and their son, Alexander James Kirk. He was sure Carol was waiting for him at the access port. He turned and got into the turbo lift and went down to leave the ship.

Carol was waiting for him, and so were Bones, Spock, Solan, and Korax. He walked over to them. Carol smiled at him. "Are you ready, Captain?" she asked.

Jim nodded. "I'm ready," he replied and put on his hat which he hardly ever wore with his dress uniform.

The others followed suit, except for Korax who did not have a uniform since he had only been a guest on the ship. However, he had become part of the crew whether he had an official title or not. As they walked out, Helek and Ajah were waiting, as well as Andrea Farnsworth. She took Bones' arm as she and the other two joined the group.

Carol squeezed Jim's arm and he looked down at her. He smiled as he looked into her blue eyes. He might be leaving something behind, but he was starting something new.

They all boarded a shuttle, and strapped in. Jim strapped Alex into his seat although he did not want to be strapped in. "Now, you have to be strapped in," Jim said. "You might go flying up to the ceiling or something, or fall in the floor. That would hurt. Don't worry. I'm going to sit beside you." He finished strapping Alex in and then sat down in his own seat.

Sulu looked back at Jim from the pilot's seat. "Ready when you are, Sir," he said.

"Let's go," Jim replied.

They were soon on their way down to the planet. Bones was sitting on the other side of the aisle from Jim. "Hey, Jim, why don't you come to Pacifica for a while?" he asked. "Aren't you going to take an extended vacation?"

"I don't know what we're going to do, Bones," Jim replied. "We'll probably stay on Earth for a while."

"Well, if you come to Pacifica, you can stay with us. I already have a place there. I mean, it's a big place with plenty of room."

"Thanks."

Jim thought they were all so attached to each other, they were going to have a hard time being apart now that the mission was over. He supposed this was what being on a ship together for five years did to people. He did not intend to start working right away though. He supposed he was going to take an extended vacation. Did he not deserve it? He had a lot to do before he did that though. He had to load the ship's logs and other data into the Starfleet database, and he would be promoted to a Rear Admiral. It would be mostly a desk job, but he would have ships under his command, and he was sure the Enterprise would be one of them. However, he was not in a hurry to take on that stress yet. He wanted to unwind and spend time with his wife and child now.

The shuttle landed at Starfleet Headquarters, and Andrea took Alex to stay with her while Jim had his meeting with the admiral. Jim found himself feeling very nervous. He had not met up with Starfleet Command in a few years, and in the last two years, he had only talked to Admiral Winston over the communication grid. He straightened his uniform.

"Jim, relax," Carol said. "Do you have the logs?"

"Yeah," Jim replied. "We haven't been here in five years. I'm kinda nervous."

Bones stood beside him on the other side. "Might as well get on in there and get it over with," he said. "No reason to stand out here fretting over it."

"Right."

Jim went on into the office, and stood at attention, along with the others who were with him. "Admiral Winston," he said. "Captain James Tiberius Kirk reporting as ordered, Sir."

"At ease, Kirk," Winston replied. "I'd rather talk to you and your wife alone."

Bones tried not to roll his eyes at that. This admiral always threw them all out. He and the others all went out into the corridor. This time, however, they could not lounge around in the hallway. They had to stand at attention beside the wall. "I hate this," Bones said as they were standing there.

"You hate everything," Solan replied.

"We're not even members of the crew and we're here too," Ajah pointed out.

Ajah and Helek had stayed on the Enterprise after they were rescued from an inhumane experiment where their DNA was combined with a Capellan power cat, causing them to have what they liked to call "an electrifying personality". They had been on the ship since that time which was slightly more than a year. Korax was a Klingon who had also joined the crew, although neither of them were part of the crew officially, but Jim had allowed them to stay aboard the ship. Ajah was going to take Andrea's place as Jim's secretary now since Andrea would be going to Pacifica with Doctor McCoy. Ajah had written some very interesting holonovels during the time he had been on the Enterprise and the crew had enjoyed them. Helek had helped with electrical systems on the ship after he had taken courses in that area, and he had also served as a bodyguard for the captain.

Now, they all waited for Jim and Carol. "Why does he always have to send us out in the hallway like we're a bunch of kids in trouble at school?" Bones asked. "It's not like we pulled a girl's braid and threw a spit wad at somebody. I feel like I'm in detention."

Bones realized the others were looking at him. "Sorry," he said. "This just reminds me of…never mind."

"You know, you are one of the most interesting people I have ever met," Helek remarked. "You don't even seem to be from this century."

"Well I am. I just happen to be from somewhere that things are not so complicated. You live the simple life until you decide to get married and you think you're sitting on top of the world, and then all of a sudden gravity grabs you and you're down in the gutter. Boy, being on this planet again just…" Bones stopped mid-sentence and blew out a breath. "At least I'm at Starfleet headquarters."

"Doctor, you should not have so much apprehension," Spock said. "You have served honorably aboard the Enterprise, and you have no reason to be ashamed or nervous."

"Thanks, Spock."

"You are welcome."

As Spock stood there, he wondered what life would be like not seeing Doctor McCoy or Jim every day. He and Nyota intended to go to New Vulcan at least for a while. However, he would miss his friends. Even if the doctor was a pessimist and complained a lot, he was a good friend. Jim had showed him what a real friend was.

Bones wondered how he could say goodbye to people he had been on a ship with for five years. He had been seeing them every day. He would even miss the logical Vulcan. He thought they would all have to stay in touch, probably every day for some time till they got used to the idea that they had to live their own lives again.

When Jim and Carol came from the office, the others relaxed. "You guys been standing out here like that this whole time?" Jim asked.

"Of course we have," Bones replied. "Where do you think we'd go?"

"Well, my promotion ceremony will be in two days. I'd like you all to be there."

"You know we're gonna be there."

Jim just stood there a moment. "Why don't we all go and get something to eat?" he asked. "But I need to go see my mom first. I want her to see Alex. But later."

"You name the place, Jim," Spock replied.

"I'll contact you guys later. We have a lot to talk about, I guess."

They all walked outside in silence. "I guess you guys are gonna have to stop calling me Captain," Jim said as they got outside.

"I don't call you captain," Bones replied in his annoying way. "But you can keep on calling me Bones."

"Of course."

They all just stood there a few more minutes. "I am joining Uhura this morning," Spock said. "We are also visiting her parents. If you will excuse me…Jim."

Jim nodded. "Captain, where are we supposed to go?" Helek asked.

"I've been thinking about that," Jim replied. "I talked to the admiral, and you guys are welcome to join Starfleet and go to the academy. Ajah will be my secretary after I take…my office." Jim blew out a breath. "Do any of you feel awkward? I feel like I'm out of place."

"Of course we do," Bones replied. "We've been on a ship for five years…not here."

"I know, but it's over, and we have to move on with life."

"Well, you're the captain. Tell us how to do that."

Jim frowned. "I'll tell you when I figure it out. Let's get a transport and stop standing out here on the sidewalk."

They got a transport that would take them back to their temporary quarters where Andrea was now with Alex. Carol went to get Alex, and Jim went on into his quarters. It was the same place he had stayed before he had gone on the five year mission. He stood and looked out the window. He could remember staring out this window after Pike died, and crying. Now, he was done with his mission and he had no idea what to do. He felt lost again…but there was definitely one thing that he and Carol were going to do, and he hoped Bones and the others would join them.

Carol soon came into the room and let Alex run. She walked over to Jim who was still looking out the window. "That child has far too much energy like his father," she said.

Jim could not help but smile. "He's a handful, "he replied.

Carol hugged his arm. "Jim, what's the matter?"

"I'm here again. When we were on the Enterprise, I knew what to do."

"You'll learn what to do here too."

"I know, but I feel lost right now."

"We'll learn together."

"I don't want to live here."

"Why?"

"I just want something more private…something of our own."

"You mean a little white house out in the country?"

Jim looked at her. "Does that sound so bad?" he asked.

"You're serious," Carol said.

"I don't know. But there's something I want to do before I start barking out orders."

Carol smiled. "I can't imagine you barking out orders."

"I'm pretty good at it when I get mad."

"Are you planning to stay mad?"

"No. I'll let Korax stand and stare at people."

Carol laughed. "He's quite intimidating at times." She went over to the closet. "I intend to wear something different." She could see that all their things had already been moved there.

"Me too." Jim took off the jacket of his dress uniform. "This thing is kinda itchy."

"Just think…you may be wearing it all the time soon."

"No, please don't say that. I may be the most casually dressed admiral there ever was in his office."

"You're going to be great."

"I hope you're right because I'm here now. But even admirals go on missions sometimes."

"Jim, we've seen wide open space. What more could we see?"

"What if they want to send me somewhere out there to oversee a planet where Starfleet occupies?"

"Would you take it?"

"I don't know. It would be on a planet."

Jim changed into some different clothes…jeans and a sweater. It was winter. He had not had to worry about seasons for five years except when they went to different planets. He sat on the bed and looked through the manual he had been given. Alex came and climbed onto the bed and sat beside him. "Daddy," he said.

Jim looked down into his blue eyes. "What?" he asked.

"When are we going to see grandma?" Alex asked, but of course, it came out like a 2 year old talked.

Jim had learned to decipher what Alex was saying. It was like learning a different language but it had also been fun. He could talk to Alex and answer him when no one else knew what he was saying. "Soon. We're waiting for Mommy."

Carol soon came from the bathroom. "I'm ready now," she said. "What do you think your mom thinks about the fact that we got married and she's never seen her grandchild?"

Jim stood up. "I don't know. Five years is a long time. Can't expect everything to stay the same."

"Do you think your mother will like me?"

Jim scowled at that. "What?"

"You heard me."

Jim was a little baffled by that question. "I think she loves you," he said. "What will your mom think about me? That's the question."

"I will admit, she wasn't very happy when she found out I was involved with you. Your reputation was spread quite far."

"Right. Well, that was in the past."

"Exactly."

They went outside and got a transport to take them to where Jim's mother, Winona, was staying. She was staying in an apartment that was not so close to Starfleet headquarters, but she did not work there. Jim and Carol went up to the apartment where she was staying and rang the door chime.

When the door opened, she smiled as she saw her son for the first time in person in five years, and then she looked down at Alex. "Come on in," she said.

She hugged Jim when he was inside. "You're so handsome," she said.

"Mom, you know Carol," Jim said.

Winona hugged Carol as well. "And this is Alexander James Kirk," Carol said as she held Alex's hand. "Alex, this is your grandma."

Jim could see the look on his mother's face as she looked at Alex that she always had for him. He smiled. "Well, hug your grandma," he said.

Winona insisted that Alex stay with her for the rest of the day when Jim and Carol had to go for their lunch. "Would you like to stay?" Carol asked as she looked at Alex.

Alex nodded. "We'll be back to get you later," Jim said. He hugged his mom. "Don't spoil him too much, Mom."

Winona smiled. "Not to worry," she replied.

Jim thought that was a sarcastic remark. He and Carol went outside. "It's good that he's already growing attached and comfortable with your mother," Carol said.

"Yeah," Jim replied. "I guess talking to her all that time on the viewscreen helped."

"I'm sure."

They went out to the restaurant that Jim had chosen to meet the others. Bones and Andrea were there already. They got a table that was long enough for the others to sit at when they arrived. "So, what are you wanting to talk about?" Bones asked curiously.

"The farm," Jim replied. "You haven't forgotten. I just want to go out there and see where it was…if it's still there."

"I haven't thought of that since we got back. I guess I have my mind on going to Pacifica."

"I just want to see."

"When are we going? Tomorrow?"

"That's what I was thinking about."

Andrea knew what they were talking about because Leonard had told her all about their time in the past and the farm they had built. "I want to go too," she said. "I want to see it."

"I can't imagine it still standing after all this time," Jim said.

Spock and the others soon arrived, and they all agreed that they would also go. "Nyota and I will not be leaving for New Vulcan until next week," Spock said. "We have plenty of time to visit. I am rather curious about our construction."

"Boy, he's curious about the construction," Bones said.

"Since we had never built anything, it is a curiosity whether it has survived this long."

"I guess that would mean that we're some kind of geniuses, right?"

"No, but that we worked together and built something that would withstand time."

After lunch, they all simply stood outside. "I guess we'll see you guys in the morning," Jim said. "It shouldn't take us long to fly over there and have plenty of time to look around. Let's get going at seven."

"We will be there," Spock replied.

"Yeah. Always up at the crack of dawn," Bones said in his sarcastic way.

That evening, Jim and Carol were back at their apartment, along with Alex, who did not want to get a bath. "Young man, you're going to cooperate with your mother," Jim said.

"No!" Alex argued.

"Why do you not want to take a bath?"

"Wet."

"Oh. You don't want to be wet. Well, I just bet if there was a big mud hole over here, you'd want to jump right in the middle of it. Right?"

Alex smiled and nodded. "That's what I thought," Jim said. "You just pretend this is a big mud hole and you're gonna splash in it. Only, instead of getting you dirty, it gets you clean, and we'll even have bubbles."

Carol almost laughed at that bribe, but it seemed to work, and soon Alex was splashing in the tub. After his bath, they got him into bed, and Jim read him a bedtime story. Carol lay in the bed and listened, laughing part of the time at Jim's impressions.

Jim soon came in there, and she smiled at him. "You're such a good dad," she said.

"I try to be," Jim replied. "I'm tired now."

"I think I'm going to make you even more tired once you get into this bed."

"Oh really? That sounds good."

Jim got into the bed and pretended to collapse on the pillow as though he were asleep. "I will shove you off this bed!" Carol said.

"Now don't get rough," Jim replied.

Carol hit him with a pillow, and he sat up. "Is that how you want to play?" he asked.

She hit him with the pillow again, but he grabbed it and pulled her toward him. However, it put them both off balance, and they fell off the bed. They were both laughing. "I think we're getting dangerous," Jim said.

Carol could only laugh. "We're going to wake the baby," she said through her giggles.

"We? You're the one making all the noise."

"I think you did this on purpose."

"Oh, yes, I love to land on the floor tangled in the sheets."

Carol leaned over him and kissed him. "Now, are you coming back to bed or not?" she asked.

"I am if I ever get out of this sheet," Jim replied. "I'm serious. I think it's wrapped around me."

They were laughing the whole time as they got up and got back onto the bed. "Do you think two people can be too happy?" Jim asked.

"I don't know," Carol replied. "But I like it."

"Lights out."

During the night, Jim started talking in his sleep and saying, "No!"

Carol sat up when she heard him yell, and she could see he was sweating and breathing heavily. "Jim?"

Jim sat straight up when she touched his shoulder, and he was almost in a panic. He realized Carol was talking to him. "Jim, you were having a nightmare," she said.

Jim rubbed his face and hair with a shaky hand. "I'm sorry I woke you," he said.

"What were you dreaming about?"

Jim considered that a moment. "I don't know. I can't remember."

"Well, it's over now. Let's get back to sleep."

Jim lay back down. He wondered why he could not remember what he was dreaming, but he could remember feeling like it was not really a dream, but he was fighting with someone. He could not have been though. He was lying in the bed.


	2. Chapter 2

When morning came, Jim felt like he had not slept at all, and he had awoken several more times feeling like he was fighting with someone. Carol did not feel rested either because when he woke up, she did too. Alex had slept all night, however, and he was up and ready to get started for the day as usual.

Jim stood and looked out the window. He could see his reflection in the window and he thought his hair was almost standing on end this morning. He did not understand why he could not remember what he had been dreaming. He had not felt like he was resting…or at least that's what he thought. It was odd that he thought he could remember how he had felt, but he could not remember what he had dreamed. It had not seemed like a dream…

"Jim, we have to get moving if we're getting breakfast before we go," Carol said as she came over to him.

"I know," Jim replied.

Carol ran her fingers through his hair. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. Just tired. I'm sure you're tired too."

"Well, I am a bit sleepy but I'm rather used to it. Don't forget to do something with this hair."

Jim smiled. "I'll try," he said.

Jim went on into the bathroom and he was rather surprised at his appearance. "It's worse than I thought," he said.

When Jim was ready, they went out to the transport that would take them somewhere for breakfast. Jim felt like he was walking in his sleep, but he intended to enjoy this day. They ate breakfast and then went to meet the others for the transport to Nebraska. Since they would be flying rather fast, it would only take about two hours to get over there.

Spock and the others arrived and they all boarded the transport. Jim yawned as he sat down in his seat. "Rough night?" Bones asked as he sat down across from him. "I'm glad you're the one who'll be riding backwards. If there's one thing I hate, it's feeling like I'm going the wrong way."

Jim was not sure he was alert enough to join in with Bones' sarcasm today. Bones just looked at him a moment. "You look like you just got out of bed and rushed down here," he said. "Did you forget you had to get up early?"

"No, Bones," Jim replied.

"The little one keep you up?"

"No."

Bones paused a moment. "I guess it's none of my business," he said with a slight smile.

Jim looked at him. "I had nightmares all night," he said.

"Oh. Nightmares, huh?"

"Yes."

"What about? Being stuck in an office all day?"

"Bones."

"Or having to listen to Admiral Winston give one of his speeches tomorrow?"

Jim rubbed his eyes. Bones scowled. "What were they about?" Bones asked.

"I don't know," Jim replied. "I can't remember."

"Can't remember? People usually remember bad dreams more than good ones."

"I know, but I can't remember. I'd wake up sweating and feeling like I'd been fighting with someone, but I couldn't remember."

"Well, you should have called me. I coulda gave you a sedative or something."

Jim leaned his head back on the seat. "Just wake me when we get to Nebraska," he said sleepily.

Andrea sat down beside Bones. "This is going to be fun," she said. "It'll be like seeing where you were…like being there."

"Only we won't be building it this time," Bones replied. "It wasn't easy working on that farm. Then we just gave it all up."

"You didn't want to come back here?"

"Sure I did. I had not gotten acquainted with you yet though."

"And you can't imagine your life without me now?"

Bones smiled. "No. I can't."

Carol sat down beside Jim. She was sleepy too, but she could hide it much better than Jim. "This should be exciting," she said.

"Yeah, if Jim there can wake up," Bones replied. "He said he had nightmares all night."

"Yes. He would wake up sweating and yelling 'No, you're wrong', or something like that."

Bones scowled as he thought about that. "Is he remembering something?"

"I don't know. He couldn't remember a thing about what he was dreaming."

"That's odd. Is that all he said?"

"Yes."

They were silent as the shuttle lifted off. Bones rubbed his face. He thought he should be used to that by now, but his stomach still protested leaving the ground.

Spock came over to them once they were on their way. "How is the captain?" he asked noticing that Jim was sleeping.

"He had nightmares all night," Bones said. "Can't remember what they were about."

"Perhaps it is the anxiety of starting a new adventure in life."

"Could be, but I don't know why he would be reacting like that."

After about ten minutes, Jim started to move in his sleep. "No," he said. "Let me sleep! I haven't done anything to you!"

"Hey, Jim," Bones said. He touched Jim's shoulder and if he had not moved fast enough, Jim would have slapped him. "Hey, wake up!"

Jim did wake up and would have stood up out of his seat if he was not still buckled in. He grabbed Bones by the collars before he realized it was him. "Bones?"

"Yeah."

Jim let go of his shirt and realized everyone was looking at him. "Sorry," he said. "I guess I was dreaming again."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Bones asked.

"I'm fine except I can't get any sleep."

"Well, I don't have a medical kit with me. I didn't know I would need one on this trip."

"Don't worry about it. Maybe I'm just nervous."

"Didn't look like nerves. Looked like plain old panic to me. Anyone been threatening you or anything and you're keeping it a secret?"

"No, Bones." Jim rubbed his eyes. "I'm miserable, okay? Maybe if I just stay awake…"

"You can't stay awake all the time."

Jim stared out the window of the shuttle, and he could see the terrain as they traveled fast toward Nebraska. He tried to remember what he had been dreaming about, but it would not come to him. How could he enjoy this trip feeling like he was walking in his sleep? And he had to be at his promotion ceremony the next day. He thought if he felt like this, he might fall asleep while Admiral Winston was talking.

By the time they got to Nebraska, Jim was not feeling any better. He had wanted to enjoy this trip but he was not because he felt exhausted. They left the transport and Jim's mouth dropped open as he stood and looked at the place that had been their home place.

"Jim," Carol said.

There was a fence and a gate around the place and the name _West Gordon Ranch_ was on the gate. As they looked through the gate, they could see that the old house was still there, although it looked like it had been renovated. "It's incredible," Jim said.

"Do you think they'll let us come in and see it?" Bones asked.

"Only one way to find out."

Jim pressed the button on the intercom that was on the outside of the gate. "Yes," someone said.

Jim went blank for a moment. "I'm Jim Kirk," he said. "I wondered if my friends and I could…"

"Did you say Jim Kirk?"

"Yes."

There was silence, and then the gates opened. "Curious," Spock commented.

"Don't forget, Jim West and Artemus Gordon on the ship knew about you," Carol reminded Jim. "They were looking for you."

When the gates were open, Jim and the others walked into the ranch yard which was quite large. "It's amazing how some things can stand the test of time," Jim said as he just stood there.

"Even the barn," Bones pointed out. "You think my initials are still in that post in there?"

"Could be. I just don't see how it could all still be here."

"I'm sure it's had new wood and stuff put on it, and repairs. You know, if you take care of something it lasts."

Just then, a large vehicle that almost looked like a limousine, although it did not roll on wheels, drove out to them. A man got out and walked around to them. "Mister Kirk," he said. "You and your friends are welcome. I will take you to the house."

Jim was not sure what to say at the moment. "Okay."

They got into the vehicle. "I didn't expect this," Jim said.

"I am sure Mister West and Mister Gordon have kept in touch with their families," Spock replied. "Perhaps they are just grateful to you for allowing them to serve aboard the Enterprise."

They soon arrived at the house and got out. There was a man standing on the front porch and he smiled as they approached the house. "Captain Kirk," he said. "It is an honor to meet you. I am Lawrence Gordon. My son, Artemus served aboard your ship. He has had nothing but good things to say about that experience."

"Well, I'm glad," Jim replied. "He's an exemplary officer. We didn't mean to intrude. We just wanted to see the place."

"Intrude? You just come right in."

Jim, Carol, Bones, Andrea, Spock, and Uhura went into the house. It did not look like it did when they built it but it still had the basic frame shape. Gordon offered them some coffee as he invited them to sit around a table. Jim thought he could use some coffee. Maybe it would help him to wake up. Bones took a deep breath as he could smell coffee brewing.

"I don't think anything smells better than that," Bones declared.

"How many people get to come back to a place they lived after this much time and see how it's faring?" Jim asked.

"It's remarkable," Uhura said. "It's just so beautiful."

"It is," Andrea agreed. She looked at Bones. "Have you ever thought of building something like this again?"

"Not really," Bones replied. "I actually thought I'd be…I don't know where. I guess I thought we wouldn't make it through that five year mission."

"Leonard, you are so funny sometimes."

Jim snickered at that, but he tried to hide his smile. "I saw that," Bones said.

"Saw what?" Jim asked trying to look innocent.

"That smile."

"Bones, I've heard you called a lot of things, but funny was never one of them."

"Yeah, well, Andrea knows a side of me that none of you know."

"That's just fine with me."

Their host returned with a tray with a pot of coffee and cups for them all. He poured some for everyone and then sat down. "Artie has not returned yet," he said. "But we expect him tomorrow."

"He has helped a great deal, and has invented some very interesting things while onboard the Enterprise," Jim said. "If it weren't for some of his inventions, I probably wouldn't be here right now. You can be very proud of him."

"Oh, we are. He was always inventing things when he was younger, and we sent him to Starfleet Academy."

"I'm glad you did."

As they talked, Jim realized that Artie and West had kept their families informed about what was going on on the Enterprise. He showed them around the place. Jim stood out at the knoll and looked out across the view that he had loved so much before. It still looked almost the same…just as far as one could see. He wished he felt better, but he thought the caffeine in the coffee had made him feel nervous because of not having any sleep.

"Hey Jim!"

Jim looked to see Bones riding a horse and leading another. He stopped where Jim was standing. "Come on," he said. "You gonna just stand here?"

"I was just enjoying the view," Jim replied.

"Come on."

Jim mounted the other horse and they rode back to the others. He smiled as he looked out across the area they were about to ride on. "You guys know we have to race, don't you?" he asked.

Carol smiled. "Don't be too confident…Captain," she said.

As they raced across the pasture, Jim thought he would like to own a place like this himself, but he supposed he could not because he was about to be an admiral. How would he ever have time to take care of something like this?

After an incredibly good lunch, they boarded their shuttle and went back to San Francisco and Starfleet headquarters. "I hope that ceremony tomorrow isn't so long that we can grow a beard by the time it's over," Bones said.

"Well, believe it or not, I hope not too," Jim replied. "I hope I can get some sleep tonight."

"If you have any trouble, just call me. I don't live far away." Bones touched Jim's forehead. "You don't feel like you have any fever or anything."

"I'm not sick, Bones." Jim held up his hand and it shook slightly. "I'm just nervous after drinking that coffee."

"Just make sure you get some sleep tonight…and call me."

"Fine. If I can't sleep, I'll wake you up in the middle of the night."

"Good."

They parted ways that evening and Jim was glad to be back at their apartment. He lay down on the bed and thought it would be easy to sink into sleep, but he looked at the manual about his new job. Carol came in there and got into the bed herself. "Alex is asleep now," she said. "I'm going to get some sleep myself. You should be sleeping rather than looking at that."

Jim rubbed his eyes. "I think that coffee I drank over there has me on edge," he said. "I'm tired, but I can't go to sleep."

"I've felt like that before, but today is not one of those days."

Carol lay down and was soon asleep. Jim put the manual away and lay down. He stared at the ceiling feeling his eyelids drooping, and finally, he sank into sleep…

 _He was on the Enterprise. No, he could not be on the Enterprise. His five year mission was completed. He walked down the corridor toward the Bridge, and there was no one in sight. He looked down and realized he was wearing his cadet's uniform…from Starfleet Academy. He walked onto the Bridge, and there was no one there. How could he be on the Enterprise? He was supposed to be on the bed in his apartment asleep._

 _Just then, the doors on the other side of the Bridge opened, and someone stepped out. Jim swallowed hard. "You're the one who's been keeping me awake?" he asked._

 _"And I'm going to continue keeping you awake until I humiliate you…until you are no longer an official in Starfleet! You should never have become the captain of the Enterprise!"_

 _"Who are you?"_

 _"Your worst nightmare! I know when you're asleep, Jim Kirk, and I won't let you rest! Your mind is my playground. You may have your eyes closed, but your mind is not resting, and after all, if the mind does not rest, the body can't function like it should!"_

 _"Leave me alone! Why are you doing this?"_

 _"Because I can!"_

 _Jim found himself running through the corridors of the Enterprise, and he was still dressed in his red cadet uniform. He felt like he was being chased by some unknown stalker, and then he came to the back of the ship which was open, and he could see out into space. He turned and ran back the other way but turned down a different corridor, and then he heard someone laughing._

 _"You can't hide from me, Jim Kirk!" the voice said. "Run, run, run! You can't run forever!"_

 _"Leave me alone!" Jim yelled, but somehow he did not feel like he was really yelling, but thought he was yelling._

 _The voice was laughing again. Where had he heard that voice before? Why would anyone be doing this to him? "Keep running, Kirk! Maybe you'll be in as great shape as you always thought you were!"_

Jim sat straight up on the bed. His hands were shaking and he was sweating again. He looked at Carol who was still sleeping. He got off the bed and walked outside onto the patio. He leaned on the rail of the balcony. He knew he had been dreaming again, but he did not know what the dream was about, but somehow, he thought it was not much like a dream. He looked out at the city which was definitely not quiet or asleep. He thought they had lain there asleep for quite a while…or at least, he thought he had been asleep, but felt like he had not. He wished he was asleep.

It was late, but Bones had told him to call him if he could not sleep, so he got his communicator and went back out to the patio. "Bones," he said. He waited a moment. "Bones."

"Yeah," Bones said, sounding very sleepy.

"You told me to call you if I couldn't sleep."

"Jim?"

"Yeah, it's me."

Bones looked at the clock beside his bed, but he sat up. "Still having trouble, huh?" he asked.

"I am," Jim said. "I don't know how much longer I can stand this, Bones."

"You want me to come to your apartment? I wouldn't want to wake the little tike."

"At this point, I don't care."

"Why don't you go to the medical center, and I'll meet you there?"

"Fine."

Jim went over to Carol and touched her shoulder. "Carol."

Carol turned over onto her back. "Jim, why are you up?" she asked.

"I still can't sleep. I'm going to the medical center. Bones is going to meet me there. I don't want to keep you up or Alex."

"Jim, you don't have to leave."

"I know but you need rest. Maybe Bones can help me. Don't worry."

Carol kissed him. "He could have treated you here," she said. "I don't like sleeping without you."

"I don't like sleeping without you either, but maybe after this, I can get back to normal."

"I'll see you when you get back."

"Get some rest."

Jim got into some jeans and a t-shirt and sneakers and went over to the medical center where Bones was waiting for him. Bones scowled as he looked at his friend with red eyes that looked as exhausted as his slumping posture made him look. "Come on in here," Bones said. Jim followed him to a medical lab where there were others. "Lay down there on that bed."

Jim lay down and folded his arms as he looked up at the ceiling. Bones did a scan. "Well, everything seems normal except your pulse is a little fast and your blood pressure's up a little," he said.

"No wonder," Jim replied.

"So, what did you dream about this time?"

"I don't know. I can't remember, but I felt like it wasn't a dream."

Bones was silent a moment. "What do you mean, you felt like it wasn't a dream?"

"I don't even know. Am I losing my mind?"

"No. Don't start thinking like that. I'm gonna hook you up to this thing and monitor you while you sleep, and I'll give you something to help you sleep."

"Bones, what if I start…dreaming or whatever, and I can't wake up."

Bones started preparing the monitors. "You're worried about dreaming and not waking up now?" he asked. He looked at Jim. "Are you waking up scared or what?"

"That's the problem. I don't know."

Bones continued with his preparation. "If you start anything, I'll wake you up myself," he said.

"Okay," Jim replied.

Bones scowled. He thought this was getting serious if Jim was even afraid to go to sleep. He wished there was a way that he could see what was happening, but he was not a telepath or anything like that. He considered that. If this got more serious, he would have to get Spock in there. He prepared a hypospray and went over to Jim.

"Now, you will wake me up, won't you?" Jim asked.

"I'm gonna be watching you, so just relax," Bones said. "Is there anything you're not telling me?"

"No."

"Alright then."

Bones put the hypospray to Jim's neck, and he almost did not give it to him as he could see the fear and worry on Jim's face. "Just relax," Bones said. He gave him the medicine and watched as he fell asleep.

Bones watched the monitors as Jim's vitals slowed down and he seemed to be relaxed. He wrote in the chart he had prepared for this as he sat down in a chair beside the bed. After about ten minutes, he thought Jim was going to be fine, but as he started to walk away from the bed, Jim's heart rate and breathing rate started increasing and his blood pressure spiked as well.

Bones stared at the readings for a moment, and at the readings for his brain activity. It looked like Jim's brain was as active as it was when he was awake. He was not sleeping, even though he was unconscious…

 _"Bones! Wake me up!" Jim was yelling, although not out loud._

 _His tormentor was there laughing at him. "Did you really think you could stop me if he gave you a sedative?" the voice asked._

 _Jim felt like he was running through the ship again. "Get away from me!" he yelled._

 _"Oh, is that any way to talk to me? I will keep you awake until you can't think! Until you can't resist me anymore!"_

 _"NO!"_

Bones was surprised that Jim was moving slightly and trembling. He got the hypospray ready and gave him something to wake him up. "Jim!" he said.

Jim suddenly sat straight up and almost fell off the bed. "Jim!" Bones said.

Jim was in a panic and started to pull the electrodes off his head, but Bones grabbed his hands. "JIM!" he yelled.

Jim finally looked at him and realized he was awake. He could hear the machines beeping wildly because of his heart rate and everything. "Calm down," Bones said. "You're okay."

Jim rubbed his face and realized he was covered in sweat like usual. He looked at Bones who was looking very worried. "What happened?" Jim asked.

"I don't know," Bones replied. "But I'm beginning to think this is more than insomnia."

"What do you mean?"

"The readings. It was like you weren't asleep at all. Do you remember anything?"

Jim shook his head. "No. Bones, I don't know how much longer I can stay awake. I'm so tired. What's happening to me? Why can't I remember?"

Bones was getting very worried now. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out," he said. "Are you sure you can't remember anything?"

Jim thought a moment. "Nothing. What's wrong with me?"

"Did this just start when we got back to earth?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Stay right there. I'll be right back."

Bones walked over to another area of the medical facility. He was going to have to have some help with this. He had never seen anything like it. However, he could not find the person he was looking for since it was the middle of the night. He figured he would probably have to wait until the next day, but Jim needed something done now. He went back to Jim. "I'm afraid I can't do anything tonight," Bones said. "I want a second opinion."

"About what? I want to know your opinion."

"I already told you my opinion. It didn't seem like you were asleep. You said you felt like you weren't dreaming, well it didn't look like it either."

"What did it look like?"

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like it, but it didn't look like you were asleep or like you were dreaming."

"So, there's no need for me to try to sleep then."

"Jim, you can't just keep going without sleep. Trust me, I know. You start seeing things, and finally you just start falling asleep and losing part of the day and can't even remember whether you went to the bathroom or not, and then you fall out of your chair in front of everyone and they think it's hilariously funny, and…"

Bones stopped as he realized Jim was giving him one of his concerned looks. "Never mind," Bones said. "But we have to do something about this."

"Well, it looks like we can't do anything tonight, but I have that ceremony tomorrow," Jim replied. "Maybe if I go to the gym or something."

"You can't exercise when you're exhausted."

"Coffee then. I can't just lie here like this. Get these things off me."

Bones supposed he could do nothing more until the next day. He took the electrodes off Jim's head. "I guess I'll go with you," he said. "I don't feel like sleeping now."

Jim got off the bed and felt just a little dizzy and lightheaded, but he did not let Bones know that. He wanted to remember what had been keeping him from resting, but it would not come to him.

They went outside and started walking. "So where are we going?" Bones asked.

"I don't know," Jim replied, feeling incredibly nervous. "I'm just walking right now." He folded his arms. "I don't like feeling like this."

"How do you feel?"

"I feel nervous."

"Well, sleep deprivation will do that to you…at the beginning. Then you just start shutting down little by little until…"

"Bones, can we skip the dire details?"

"Sorry. I have a habit of pointing out the truth of what can happen."

Jim was quiet and just stared ahead of them and seemed to be walking slower. "Jim?" Bones said and nudged him.

Jim looked at him but slowly. "What?"

Bones could tell by Jim's eyes that he was about to collapse. He looked for a coffee shop that was still open. "There," he said. "Let's go there." He grabbed Jim by the arm and guided him over to the shop.

They went inside, and Bones pushed Jim into a booth seat, and he sat on the other side. "Stop staring at me," Jim said, almost sounding like he was drunk. "Do I look that bad?"

"Yeah, you do," Bones replied. "You're the one who's staring into space."

"I wish I was still in space. Maybe I could sleep."

"I want you to close your eyes and…"

Just then, the waitress came to take their orders. "Bring us two strong coffees," Bones said. "Two sugars and vanilla creamer."

Jim leaned on his hand. "That ought to keep us awake," he said as the waitress left.

"Alright, while we're waiting, I want you to close your eyes and try to remember what you were…well, whatever happened."

"If I close my eyes, I may go to sleep."

"Just close them and concentrate."

Jim closed his eyes and tried to remember, but instead, he started to drift to sleep. He was startled as he started to slide from his hand. "I can't close my eyes," he said.

"Why?" Bones asked. "What's going to happen?"

Jim considered that as much as he could in his groggy brain. "I don't know."

"You're just not making any sense."

Their coffee soon arrived, and Bones poured some of the creamer into it. "Now, let's drink this concoction and see if we can be more alert," he said. He tasted the coffee. "Perfect."

"You don't have to stay awake because of me," Jim said.

"What do you expect me to do? I'm a doctor. When someone's having a problem, I can't sleep. Especially when it's my best friend."

Jim sipped the coffee. "What do you think it'll be like not to see each other when we're living on different planets?" he asked.

"Probably a lot quieter," Bones replied in his usual cynical way. "We won't be running out after some murderous maniac who wants to slit our throats and take our heads for a trophy."

Jim shook his head. "I had to ask."

"Well, you ask a silly question, you're gonna get a silly answer."

"You looking forward to spending all that time with Andrea?"

"I am."

"You guys are gonna live together?"

Bones was silent a moment. "Not right at the beginning," he said.

"Sorry. There I am being nosey again."

"I guess it happens when you're stuck on a ship together for five years. You know everything about everyone."

"And you didn't like that part of it."

"Not exactly."

Jim yawned and drank more of his coffee. "You just…" He rubbed his face and eyes.

"You alright?" Bones asked.

"Yeah."

Bones watched as Jim's eyes closed seemingly on their own. He knew his body was trying to shut down, but Jim sat up straighter again. He drank more of the coffee. Bones could not understand what Jim was afraid of, but he knew he had been in a panic when he was asleep.

By the time they were done with the coffee, Jim was awake, but he was acting like a drunk person after so many hours awake. They left the coffee shop and started walking again. "Jim, don't you think you should go home?" Bones asked.

"I don't want to go home," Jim replied. "I would just wake Carol up, and might even wake the baby."

"Maybe Carol wouldn't care if you woke her up."

That brought a silly grin to Jim's face. "Hey, maybe she wouldn't," he said.

Bones rolled his eyes. "You're getting worse all the time. I don't think the coffee was the right thing."

"I'm awake now." Jim turned around and headed back toward home. "You think Carol will be worried about me?"

"I don't know. Didn't you tell her you were leaving?"

Jim considered that a moment. "I don't remember."

"Jim, surely you didn't just walk out without telling your wife."

"Yeah, I probably told her. She's really beautiful, you know…and she loves me."

"Yeah, I know. She would have to to put up with you."

"You put up with me. Does that mean you love me too?"

"No. I'm just stuck with you. Now, shut up. This conversation is getting weird. She'll think I took you out drinking."

"You did."

"No I didn't. You better not tell her that. We had coffee."

"Oh yeah."

They finally got back to the apartment complex where Jim and Carol lived. Bones tried to help Jim stay steady while they were going up to the apartment, but they met up with Admiral Nevins in the lobby. "Captain Kirk," he said.

Jim tried to stand at attention, but he could hardly stand steady. "Sir," he replied.

"Are you drunk?"

"No, sir, he's not drunk," Bones interrupted. "He's having some problems right now, but he'll be fine."

"Get him out of here, Doctor McCoy."

Bones got Jim by the arm and got him into the turbo lift. "Now, you see what you did?" Bones asked.

"I didn't do anything," Jim replied.

"That Admiral will report this. He thought you were stone drunk."

"But you told him I wasn't."

"I'm your friend."

Bones rang the door chime, hoping Carol would come to the door quickly before anyone else saw Jim. "Who's there?" she asked.

"It's me," Bones said. "I brought your husband home."

The door opened, and Carol was up. Her mouth dropped open when she saw Jim. "Is he drunk?" she asked.

"No!" Bones said. "We had coffee."

"Coffee? You were supposed to be helping him sleep, not keeping him awake."

"It's a long story. There's something going on here that's beyond my expertise. I'm gonna contact Doctor Styles in the morning, and get his opinion about this. I don't know what else to do. I have the readings but it's just…like I said, it's beyond me. I'm gonna be studying it more though."

Jim grinned at Carol. "He said you probably wouldn't care if I woke you up," he said.

Carol looked at Bones. "I was just trying to get him to come home," Bones said.

"And what am I supposed to do with him?" Carol asked.

"Don't ask me. He's your husband."

"I know what you can do with me," Jim said.

"I'm getting out of here," Bones declared. "Have fun."

Carol thought she was going to have a serious talk with Doctor McCoy. She looked at Jim who was looking completely silly. "Come on," she said.

"Anywhere," Jim replied.

They went over to the bed, and Carol shoved Jim backwards onto it. "Are you gonna undress me now?" he asked.

"Jim, shut up," Carol said. She pulled his shoes off and then looked at him and realized he definitely was going to sleep now that he was lying down. "Jim?" She crawled onto the bed and pulled him on up to the pillows. She stroked his hair, hoping he would be able to sleep this time. She lay down beside him and could not help but smile as she thought of how silly he looked when he walked in.


	3. Chapter 3

_"Let me sleep!" Jim yelled._

 _"Are you begging, Captain Kirk?" the same voice asked. "Oh, wait, you'll soon be an admiral…a Rear Admiral. You should be in the rear!"_

 _"Leave me alone! How are you doing this to me?"_

 _"Wouldn't you like to know?"_

 _Jim felt like he was standing on the Enterprise again. "NO! I am not on the Enterprise! I am lying down! I am asleep!"_

 _"No, you're not, Captain!"_

 _Jim felt like someone was right behind him, and he turned around, but there was no one there. "Run, Captain!"_

 _"NO! I won't run!"_

 _"I think you will."_

 _Jim closed his eyes. "This is not real!" he said to himself. "It's not real!"_

 _"You can't sleep, Captain Kirk!" the voice said. "If you sleep, I will probe your mind. Your defenses are breaking down!"_

 _"No!"_

 _"Run, Captain!"_

 _Jim looked around him and felt an overwhelming sense of fear. He backed up and felt like he ran into a wall. Suddenly, he saw a Nausicaan coming toward him with his lance. "Run, Captain! Don't you know you can die in dreams?" the voice asked._

 _Jim tried to resist his fear but he ran anyway…_

Carol sat up and looked at Jim as she realized he was dreaming again. He was moving as though he was trying to get away from something. "Jim," she said. "Jim!"

 _Jim heard Carol say his name as he felt like he was running for his life. "Carol!" he yelled._

 _"Jim, I'm here! You're safe!"_

 _"Make her stop!"_

Carol was surprised at that. _Her?_ She thought. "Jim! Wake up!"

"I can't!" Jim said.

Jim suddenly sat up and fell off the bed. He knocked the nightstand over as he bumped his head on it. Carol got off the bed and knelt beside him. "Jim!" Then she heard Alex start to cry. She helped Jim to sit up. "Jim, are you alright?"

"Carol, I heard you," Jim said.

"Who was there, Jim?"

"I don't know."

"Get back onto the bed."

"No! I don't want to go to sleep!"

"I have to go to Alex."

Carol grabbed the communicator as she went to the baby's room. He was sitting up in his bed crying. "Doctor McCoy!" Carol said into the communicator. She touched Alex's face and smiled. "Everything's okay, Darling. Lie down." She sat down beside him and hugged him. "Go back to sleep." She helped him lie down and was glad to see him drift back to sleep. She closed the door as she left the room.

"McCoy here," Bones finally answered.

"Doctor, you have to do something."

"What's going on?"

"Jim is awake again. He was having another nightmare. He said something about a woman."

"What?"

"He said 'make her stop'. I was talking to him. He heard me."

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

Carol ended the transmission and went back to Jim who was still sitting in the floor beside the bed. "I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?" Carol asked.

"This mess."

"Don't worry about that. We have to figure out what's happening to you. This is not a nightmare."

Soon, Bones arrived and he helped Jim get up. "I don't want to lie down," Jim said and folded his arms.

"Do it anyway," Bones replied.

"No. I'll fall asleep."

"I won't let you."

Jim lay down on the bed and Bones scanned him. He sat on the side of the bed as he looked at the readings. He did not know how to help Jim. "I think I have to get someone else involved in this," he said.

"Like who?" Jim asked.

"Spock."

"Why?"

"He can get into your mind. If someone's messing with you, he can find out who."

Bones took out his communicator. "Spock," he said and waited.

"Spock here."

"Sorry to wake you but we have a big problem."

"Explain."

"I need you to come to Jim and Carol's quarters."

"I will be there shortly."

Bones ended the transmission and they waited for Spock. "A woman, huh?" he asked. "You made any women mad lately?"

"Only Carol," Jim replied.

"Since this started after we got back to Earth, it must be someone here. At least we know it wasn't anyone on the ship."

"How could anyone do this to me?"

"The only way is through telepathy. You know any telepaths besides Spock?"

"No."

"There were a few telepaths around when we were at the Academy."

Jim sat up. "The academy," he said.

"What about it?" Bones asked.

"I don't know. Something…"

"So this has something to do with the academy?"

"I don't know." Jim's hand shook as he rubbed his eyes. "I can't remember."

"Or you're not allowed to?"

Jim looked at Bones. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"We're gonna find out what's happening here," Bones said.

Spock soon arrived, and they let him in. "Morning, Spock," Bones said.

"I do not believe it is considered morning as of yet," Spock replied.

"Well, it's in the A.M. anyway."

"What is the problem?"

"It's Jim. Someone's messing with his mind when he tries to sleep."

Spock looked at Jim. "Who?" he asked.

"He doesn't know. I think they're blocking him from remembering. He can't remember anything that happens, but Carol heard him say 'make her stop'."

"Which indicates the presence of a female," Spock said thoughtfully. "And you do not believe it is simply nightmares?"

"Well, I called you here because I want you to see if you can find out what's happening when he's asleep."

"You want me to do a mind-meld."

"Yeah. That's something your species does, right?"

"Yes. Are you sure it is safe?"

"Should be. I'll be watching both of you."

Spock looked at Jim who was still lying on the bed. He could not remember Jim ever looking so exhausted. "I will try," he said and sat on the bed beside Jim. "Have you ever experienced a mind-meld?"

Jim considered that. "Your…other self. He showed me what happened with Nero."

"Then you know what to expect. Only this time, I will be attempting to read your thoughts and become part of your nightmare."

Bones shook his head as he got on the other side of Jim. "This is sounding worse all the time," he said.

"I will be trying to help him."

"I'm here too, Jim," Carol said as she clutched his hand.

Bones prepared a hypospray. "If I think it's getting to be too much for you, I'll wake you up," he said.

Jim just lay there while Bones gave him the hypospray but he held to Carol's hand. He began to drift, and Spock put his fingers on Jim's face and forehead. "Our minds one and together," Spock said. "My mind to your mind."

Spock suddenly thought he was aboard the Enterprise, standing on the Bridge. "Jim?" he said, but he did not get an answer. He left the Bridge and walked down the corridor.

"NO!" he heard Jim yell. "Get away from me!"

Spock hurried toward the sound. He soon found Jim standing in a corner of the corridor backed against the wall, but he was dressed in the red uniform of a cadet. "Jim?"

Jim suddenly looked at him with surprise but relief too. "Spock! Make her get away from me!"

"Jim, come with me."

Jim reached for him, but he felt like he could not move, so Spock went to him. "Commander Spock!" the voice that had been tormenting Jim said. "I will not let you interfere!"

"Who are you?" Spock asked.

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?"

"We will find you. A telepath cannot hide on Earth."

Spock realized he was practically holding Jim up now that he had the tormentor's attention away from him. "I will not allow you to torture him any longer," Spock declared. "If you attempt to awaken him, I will find you."

Spock heard the being scream in rage, but then she was gone, and he was standing alone with Jim, who was completely relaxed and asleep. Spock closed his own eyes and then he was back in Jim's room, and Jim was lying on the bed asleep.

Spock looked at Bones. "I did not find out the identity of his tormentor," he said. "However, I believe she has been deterred for the time being."

Bones was scanning Jim. "He's definitely out cold," he said. "How can we make sure she doesn't come back?"

"I do not believe she will return tonight. She also has the fear of being found out. The dream was as though we were on the Enterprise, and Jim was dressed in a cadet's uniform."

"That's odd. He said something about the academy…or I did, and it almost caused him to remember."

"That must have been what he remembered. She seemed to be causing him great fear."

"About what?"

"I do not know. He was backed into a corner when I found him and could not move."

"What's her goal? Why is she doing this?"

"I did not obtain that information. However, after Jim has rested, I could do another mind-meld, and perhaps find out more."

"So this is not a psychological thing, but it is a mind thing."

"Correct."

"At least he's asleep now," Carol said.

"He should sleep the rest of the night. His tormentor does not want to be found out. If it is alright with you, I will remain here in case she tries again."

"As long as he gets to rest. But he has to be up early to go to his ceremony."

"Perhaps even a little sleep will alleviate some of his exhaustion."

"It will," Bones said. "I'll just stay too. I'll just get comfortable over there on that couch if you don't mind."

"It will not bother me," Carol replied. "As long as we can get some rest."

Bones went over to the couch and lay down. He was tired himself, but he was glad Jim was getting some sleep. Spock sat in a chair which was a recliner. He wanted to know who the woman was and he thought maybe if he meditated, he might be able to remember something that would tell them who she was. He knew it had to be someone who knew Jim Kirk. He thought that she was angry about something, and her anger was concentrated on Jim.

Jim slept the rest of the night, and the alarm came on the next morning. He reached for the nightstand, but it was not there. However, the alarm clock was in the floor. He looked at the mess in the floor. He turned over toward Carol who was still asleep. He could not remember much of what happened during the night, but he thought he did not feel as exhausted as before, although he did not feel very rested either.

"Carol," he said.

Carol turned over onto her back. "Please, turn off that alarm," she replied. She looked up into Jim's blue eyes and realized it was morning. "It is time to get up already?"

"I think so. I was asleep, wasn't I?"

"Yes. Don't you remember?"

Jim considered that. "No." He leaned over to kiss her but then he heard someone clear their throat. He looked to see Bones looking over the back of the couch.

"Morning," Bones said.

Jim shook his head. "Well, I want to hear this story." He realized Spock was in the recliner, but was also awake.

"You mean you don't remember Spock and me getting up before all the roosters and coming over here and helping you get to sleep?"

"No."

Bones looked at Spock. "Well, that's gratitude for you."

"Doctor, I do not believe Jim was in a condition to remember," Spock said. "We accomplished our goal whether he remembers or not."

"What happened?" Jim asked.

Bones stood up and stretched. "Spock did a mind-meld with you and chased that maniac out of your mind so you could sleep," he said.

Spock considered that explanation. "Precisely."

"A mind-meld," Jim said thoughtfully. "I don't know why I can't remember."

Spock stood up out of the chair. "I assume we must all get ready for your promotion ceremony this morning," he said. "If you will excuse me, Captain. Uhura and I will meet you there."

Jim nodded as he stood up himself. "Thank you, Spock," he said.

"You are welcome, Jim."

"Well, it's nice to stand up and not feel like I'm falling backward." He looked at the nightstand lying in the floor. "Did I do all that?"

"Yes," Carol answered. "But you fell off the bed."

"Why can't I remember any of that?"

"Sleep deprivation," Bones answered. He walked over to Jim and scanned him again. "At least you're a little better. You could still use some more sleep but you'll do for now."

"So, did Spock know who it was?"

"No. I think he was meditating most of the night trying to figure it out but he didn't say anything." Bones put his scanner away. "I guess I'll get out of here and let you folks get ready. I'll see you there."

"Thanks, Bones."

"Think nothing of it."

Bones left and Jim just stood there. Carol walked over to him. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"I definitely feel a little better," Jim replied. He scowled as he remembered something. "Did I make a pass at you last night?"

Carol smiled. "You were pretty silly when you came home," she said.

"Silly?"

"Yes. Anyone would have thought you were drunk."

"I wasn't, was I?"

"No. I don't know what you and the good doctor did last night, but he said you drank coffee."

"Coffee?" Jim thought a moment. "Wait, I remember. We did drink coffee. I didn't want to go to sleep."

"I'm glad Spock could help you."

"We still don't know who's doing this though. I'm afraid she'll be back."

"Or she may try another way."

"We'll just have to try and figure it out. Right now, we've got a ceremony to attend."

The promotion ceremony was at 0800 hours. Jim yawned as he and Carol walked into the auditorium, where they met Ajah and Helek, as well as Solan and Korax. "Morning," Solan said. "You look tired. We heard what's been going on."

"Maybe it's over for now," Jim replied.

"I think the entire crew is here for this. You have to admit, it's early in the morning, and they must respect you a lot to come out for this."

"Thanks."

"Captain, is there anything we can do to help with your problem?" Ajah asked.

"I don't think so," Jim replied. "We'll have to think about all that after this ceremony."

"If you need our help, you have only to ask, Sir, and I am assuming that you will take your office as Admiral after this ceremony?"

"Sometime after. I'm going to take an extended vacation first. We've been in space a long time and I want to spend some time with my family and just do something else before I jump into being an admiral."

"Then we will call you _Admiral_ Kirk," Korax said. "Are you proud of that title?"

Jim smiled slightly. "I am," he replied.

"You have earned it. I believe you have done a great deal to improve the galaxy."

"Thank you."

Just then, Admiral Nevins walked up to them. "Captain Kirk," he said.

Everyone around Jim stood at attention, and then he did also. "Sir," he replied.

"At ease. I assume your problem you had last night is fixed?"

Jim scowled at that. "Sir?"

"I met you and Doctor McCoy last night in the lobby. You weren't looking too well."

"Oh. Well…" Jim was not sure what to say because he did not remember that.

Just then, Bones walked up. "Morning," he said. "Admiral."

"I was just asking the captain if his problem was fixed," Admiral Nevins said.

"Yes Sir. For now."

"Is there something we should know about?"

"No, Sir," Jim interrupted. "It's just something that we're dealing with."

"You're not on a ship anymore, Captain. If there's something wrong, you should share it."

"Yes sir."

Admiral Nevins just stood there a moment, but he realized Jim's crew would not say a word without his approval. "I'll talk to you later, Captain, and congratulations on your promotion."

"Thank you sir."

Nevins walked away, and Jim watched until he was out of earshot. "Bones, I don't want everyone knowing about this till we find out some more," he said.

"I wasn't going to tell him," Bones replied. "You feeling alright?"

"I'm okay. I just hope this ceremony isn't too long."

Spock walked up next, along with Uhura. "Morning, Captain," she said. "Soon to be Admiral."

"Morning," Jim replied. He took a deep breath. "I'm a little nervous." He yawned. "And sleepy too, but I think I can stay awake, thanks to Spock and Bones. Did you figure anything out?"

"No, Captain," Spock answered. "I do not remember the voice from the past."

"It seemed familiar but I can't remember much about anything."

"You were aboard the Enterprise in your dream, and dressed in a cadet's uniform. That prompts me to believe that this is someone you knew before. Was there ever an incident at the academy that…"

"Captain Kirk!" someone called.

Jim looked to see John McCoy coming that way. He stood at attention. "Captain, they're ready for you to take your place, Sir."

"Alright," Jim said. "I'll talk to all of you later."

Jim, Carol, and Alex followed John to the other end of the auditorium which was the front. Carol and Alex were given a place to sit at the front while Jim stood on a stage. He looked toward Carol as he felt very nervous. She smiled at him and blew him a kiss. He blew out a nervous breath and tried not to yawn.

As the ceremony started, Jim sat in a chair while Admiral Winston talked. Jim thought he should have told the admiral about what happened so that if he fell asleep, maybe they would not think he was so bored that he could not stay awake at his own promotion ceremony. He looked at the window across from him and could see the sky. He tried to concentrate on that as he was feeling very warm and wished he had drank some coffee before he came in there.

Bones could see that Jim kept blinking his eyes and almost letting his head droop. "Come on, Jim, it won't be that much longer," he whispered.

"What did you say?" Andrea asked.

"Nothing. I was…Jim's having a hard time staying awake. I should have given him something."

Jim looked at the crowd and then noticed his mother. She smiled at him. He knew she was proud of him because she had said it more than once. But he could see concern on her face as well. Did Bones or someone else tell her about his problem? He certainly did not want her worrying about that.

"I call Captain James Tiberius Kirk," Admiral Winston said.

Jim stood up, trying not to move too fast. He walked over to the admiral, and barely registered everything he said as he pinned his rank insignia on him and other badges he had earned.

"Congratulations, _Admiral_ James Tiberius Kirk," Winston said and shook his hand.

"Thank you, Sir," Jim replied.

There was thunderous applause as everyone stood up. Jim felt a little embarrassed as he looked out at the crowd, but most of them were his crew from the Enterprise and they were all happy for him. He was just glad this ceremony was almost over, but after it there would be parties and he thought maybe he would make the excuse that he and Carol had to get the baby to bed. He could always use that for an excuse. He thought they could surely see he was sleepy himself.

When the ceremony was dismissed, Jim was surrounded by people congratulating him. One particular person stood out a great deal because of her appearance, simply because she was an Aenar, which had an albino-like appearance. However, this one had light blue eyes, but she had long, white hair. She walked up to Jim and shook his hand. "Congratulations," she said. "You must be so proud of yourself."

Jim thought she seemed familiar in some way. "Thank you," he replied. He could not remember ever seeing her anywhere.

After shaking hands with what he thought was a thousand people, Jim finally got out of that building, and actually still had Carol's hand in his. "We made it out," he said as though he were excited about the fact.

Carol smiled. "It wasn't that bad," she replied. "You might never see some of those people again."

"I know, but I think my hand is numb."

Jim took Alex who was asleep now. "Why don't we sneak away and go home?" he asked. "We can say we had to get the baby to sleep, and you can tuck me in too."

Carol looked around them. "Lead on…Admiral."

Jim smiled as they started walking. "You're going to tease me about that now?"

"Absolutely. How many people make admiral at your age?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm changing history. You don't have to be old to know how to do something."

Carol hugged his arm and could feel the muscles in his arm. "Are you sure you're sleepy?" she asked.

"I think I'm walking in my sleep," Jim replied.

"Are you?"

"Hey, Jim!"

Jim almost sighed as he heard that. He knew that was Bones, and he was probably running to catch up with them. He finally caught up. "Hey, you're not going to the party?" he asked.

"Bones, you know that I'm half asleep," Jim said. "You saw me up there stifling yawns."

"Come on, Jim. Everyone wants to celebrate this."

"The baby's asleep."

"I knew you were going to use that for an excuse."

"I'm not lying. You can see he's conked out."

"Yeah, but we'd all pass him around if you'd go."

Jim thought he might as well go. "Alright," he said. "But I'm not staying all day."

"Who said anything about all day? I don't even want to be there all day."

"Do I have to wear this uniform?"

"We're all wearing ours."

Jim went on with Bones and they soon came to a large reception area where there were several tables of food and everything else. Everyone applauded when Jim walked in. He wondered how long this would last. When would everyone stop applauding when he walked into the room? He was sure it would end after today. His mother came over to him. "I could not find you in that crowd," she said and hugged him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so proud of you. You just let me have that baby, and he's going home with me." Winona looked at Jim as she took Alex. "You look like you could use some sleep yourself."

Jim knew she could always tell when something was not right with him. "I'll be fine, Mom," he said.

"Are you sure? What's going on?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Just not getting enough sleep lately."

"Do you think you're going to get more being an admiral?"

"Well, I don't know."

Winona touched his cheek. "I know you're hiding something from me," she said. "But Alex and I will enjoy today. You just have fun."

"You could stay, you know."

"And miss having my grandson with me at home? Never."

Jim smiled. "We'll see you later then."

Winona clutched Carol's hand and smiled, and then she left. By the time the party was ending, Jim was sitting on a sofa dozing. Bones plopped down on the sofa beside him, startling him. "What are you doing?" Jim asked.

"I can remember a time when you could stay awake all night long, and come in at hours when decent people were long asleep, sleep a couple of hours, and then get up, go and ace all your tests, and make everyone angry all day, and now you can't stay awake for this party," Bones declared. "I think you're just getting old."

Jim looked at him. "Excuse me? I have had no sleep."

Bones smiled. "I knew that'd get you going."

"Besides, this party is boring. I'd rather be home with Carol."

"Boring? That's cause you're sitting over here in the corner." Bones looked at him. "Did Carol get mad at you last night?"

"No. She was mad at you."

"Me?"

"For giving me coffee."

"I didn't know what else to do. Did you see anyone strange at your crowning?"

"Crowning?"

"Yeah."

"No. I didn't…well, there was this one person I didn't know. She was an Aenar."

Bones looked at him as he sat up on the edge of the sofa. "An Aenar?" he asked.

"Yeah. You know, they look like an albino, but she had blue eyes, and…"

"I know what they are. I also know that they have telepathic abilities. You said you didn't know her?"

"Not that I remember."

"You ever have any trouble with an Aenar while you were at the academy? I know I can't remember everyone you had trouble with."

Jim thought. "I don't remember. I think I remember an Aenar being there, but I don't think I ever even talked to her."

"That's surprising. I thought you did more than talk to every female on the campus."

"Well…not every."

"She could be the one, Jim."

"How can we even figure that out?"

"I'd like you to go to the medical center again. Spock and I will monitor you while you're sleeping again."

"I don't want to sleep in that medical center. I want to sleep with my wife."

"Good, but I don't think she wants two other men in your apartment. How can we help you if you don't cooperate? Jim, I have to be going in three days."

Jim frowned. "I'll call you if anything happens," he said.

"If that's the way you want to do it."

"It is."

"I'm not gonna want to leave for Pacifica if you're still having this problem," Bones declared.

"Stop worrying about that," Jim replied. "It won't be your problem. You're not going to put your life and happiness on hold because of me."

"Don't tell me what I'm not going to do. I'll make those decisions myself."

"Fine. I won't tell you what to do."

"You can't order me around anymore," Bones said with one of his satisfied grins. "You're not my captain anymore. If you say 'that's an order', I'll just ignore it."

"Now, hold on. I'm an admiral now. And if I tell you to do something, you'll very well do it, or I'll…make you clean up something really nasty."

Bones sat up and just looked at Jim a moment. "You would actually do that?" he asked.

"Don't tempt me. I kinda like being an Admiral. I can tell even more people what to do."

"I don't think they know what they're doing anymore letting someone like you in authority like that."

Jim laughed. "Don't underestimate me. You never know. You might end up on a star ship again and I'll be telling you where to go."

"Oh, no. I'm done with all that space travel. I'm fixing to live the easy life for a while. I've done my time in the darkness and silence. Stopping at planets we had no idea who or what was on them, and running into all these maniacs that wanted to kill us and scatter our dust all over the galaxy. Viruses we'd never heard of. No. I'm done. Stick a fork in me."

"Now, Bones, if I decided to go on some mission in space, you mean you wouldn't go with me?"

Bones looked at him with one of his _I can't believe you said that_ looks. "You're not going to do that, are you?" he asked. "You wouldn't draft me to be the doctor on a ship you're going out in."

Jim pretended to consider that. "Now, who knows me better than you?" he asked.

"Carol?"

"I'm talking about doctors."

"She's a doctor."

"Bones."

"You can ask, but if I don't want to go, I'm not going."

Jim chuckled at that. He figured Bones would be the first one on the ship. He always pretended he did not like something when he really did.

Carol came over to them and sat down between them. "So, what is the big discussion over here?" she asked.

"Space…the final frontier," Jim said with a grin.

"Are you sure all this decoration isn't weighing on your brain?"

"Be careful now, I'm an admiral. I might order you to go home with me."

"Oh yeah? And then what?"

"I could think of a lot of things."

Bones rolled his eyes at that. "Hopefully I won't see you love birds until morning," he said and walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

_"Well, you had your little ceremony, Captain…oh wait, it's Admiral Kirk now!" the voice said._

 _"Leave me alone!" Jim said as he was on the Enterprise in his dream again. "What do you want?"_

 _"I want you to suffer! You have a beautiful family. Must be nice to have everything."_

 _"How do you know anything about me?!"_

 _"Oh, I've kept up with your illustrious career, and your personal life. After all, someone like you can't keep something like that a secret. Go ahead and sleep! I'll know every little detail of your sorted mind then, and I'm going to use it against you!"_

 _"NO!"_

 _Jim started running…_

Carol could see that Jim was dreaming again. "Jim! Jim, you're not on the Enterprise!"

Jim sat up on the bed gasping for air once again. He sat there a moment trying to calm down, and then looked at Carol. "Now, we're gonna find out who this is," he said. "Contact Bones while I get dressed."

Jim got dressed and by that time, Bones had answered. "I'll get Spock, and we'll meet you at the medical center," Bones said.

Jim kissed Carol before he left, and he headed over to the medical center. He looked around him as he walked wondering if his stalker was watching him. Did she know where he was staying? He was sure she did. He wondered what her intentions were. Why did she want to keep him awake and torment him?

Jim soon arrived at the medical center, and Spock was already there. "Where's Bones?" Jim asked.

"He has not arrived yet," Spock replied. "Do you remember your dream this time?"

"No. I just don't understand why I can't remember it."

"Perhaps it is because it was not a dream. It is logical to believe that she cannot project her own image into your dreams, but only her voice and other images."

"Even if I did see her, I wouldn't know it because I can't remember what I saw anyway."

They sat and waited a few minutes. "I thought Bones would be here before me," Jim said.

"It does seem strange that he is not here," Spock replied.

Jim took out his communicator. "Bones." He waited a moment. "Bones. Are you asleep?"

Jim and Spock looked at each other. "Where is he?" Jim asked.

"Perhaps we should go and see if he is on his way," Spock said.

They left the medical center and walked over to Bones' apartment, not seeing him along the way. Jim rang the door chime and did not get an answer. He looked at Spock. "Maybe he's at Andrea's place," he said.

"Jim, I do not believe Doctor McCoy would keep you waiting," Spock replied.

"Then where is he?"

Just then, Jim's communicator chirped at him. "Kirk here," he answered.

"Admiral…remember me?"

Jim frowned. "Who is this?"

"Oh, surely you haven't forgotten your dream companion. Are you looking for your friend…Bones? Or do you call him Doctor McCoy now? You were calling to him in one of our dream sessions."

"What do you know about him?"

"Everything."

"Where is he?"

Spock took out his own communicator and reported the incident to Starfleet security and asked them to look at the security camera footage.

"What does Bones have to do with this?" Jim asked.

"He's trying to help you," the woman answered. "I can't allow that."

"What have you done to him?"

"He's fine for now. What's his worst fear?"

Jim was not sure what Bones' worst fear was. "What are you talking about?"

"I can find your worst fear, and his."

"Where is he?!"

"Now, Admiral, that would ruin the game if I told you that, wouldn't it?"

"Let him go! He has nothing to do with this!"

"But he was your roommate at the academy, and he even helped you get aboard the Enterprise."

Jim just stood there dumbfounded a moment. "How do you know all this?" he asked.

"Like I said, I've kept up with you, Captain…Admiral."

"Please, just let Bones go! Where is he?"

"I'll give you clues, Admiral! We'll see how clever you really are."

The transmission ended. Spock was also done with his transmission. "What do you suggest we do…Admiral?" Spock asked.

Jim thought it stung just a little to hear Spock call him that. "Just call me Jim," he said.

"Jim, you should not let this person cause you to regret your promotion."

"She's taunting me about it! I don't know who this is or what her angle is, but now, she has Bones!"

"We must do the mind-meld so that I can try and help you remember back, and try to figure out who the woman is."

"Should we do that without Bones supervising and monitoring us?"

"There are other doctors on this planet."

"Right. Spock, I'm worried about Bones."

"I believe the only way to help him is to find out who this person is and how she is invading your mind."

"Bones' worst fear. What's his worst fear?"

Spock considered that as they started away from the apartment. "That would be very hard to decipher since Doctor McCoy seems to have a fear of many things such as dying of a deadly space-born virus, or being sucked out into space."

"Are you trying to be funny at a time like this?" Jim asked.

"I assure you I am not."

"Yeah. I think it'll be very hard to figure out what she thinks his worst fear is. How did she capture him anyway?"

"I have asked security to review the footage. They will most likely inform us once they know something."

Jim stopped walking. "What if he's in his apartment?" he asked. "What if he never left it?"

"Perhaps we should investigate that possibility before we leave this building," Spock replied.

They went to the building security and asked them to open Doctor McCoy's apartment. Jim thought since he was an admiral now that they should not have so much trouble trusting him. "You know who I am," he said. "I have to get in there."

"We're not allowed to give anyone access to someone else's quarters," the guard replied.

"Look, you either open that door, or I'm going to find another way to get it open. Now, put your code in."

The guard reluctantly put his code in to open the door to Bones' apartment. Jim and Spock walked in, but Bones was not there. "How could she take him without anyone seeing anything?" Jim asked.

"It is logical that if one decides to break a law, they will try to figure out a way to keep anyone from seeing it," Spock said.

Jim looked around the room but he did not see anything that indicated there was a fight in that room so that made him think Bones left the room. He wanted to find out where she would be taking Bones and what he had to do with this situation other than trying to help him. "Spock, you were at the academy when we were," he said. "Do you remember anything weird that happened?"

"Admiral, I would have to say that I remember several weird incidents that occurred while you were at the academy," Spock replied. "However, I do not remember any telepaths being involved."

"Maybe she's working for someone else. Maybe they're having her do all this."

"If she is taking vengeance for something that happened at the academy, it is logical to believe that she may have taken the doctor there."

Jim considered that. "You could be right," he said. "Let's get Ajah, Helek, and Korax to help us, and maybe even Solan. That way we can spread out a little. She took Bones because he was there at the time. What could he have done?"

"It was Doctor McCoy who got you aboard the Enterprise," Spock pointed out. "Since your antagonist projected images of the Enterprise, and you in a cadet's uniform, it is likely that this has something to do with the Enterprise."

"But what? I wasn't the captain until…"

They were both silent. "Perhaps someone else thought they should have been considered other than you," Spock said.

"But I wasn't even supposed to be aboard the Enterprise."

"But yet, you became the captain because you were aboard, and you were aboard because of Doctor McCoy."

"How would anyone know that?"

"I do not know. However, I am sure it was in the captain's report. If it had not been for Doctor McCoy, you most likely would not have been aboard, and the rest of us would possibly be dead right now."

Jim looked at Spock. "Why?"

"Because, Jim, it was you who realized something was wrong. Had you not been there, we would have most likely been destroyed like all the other Federation ships. That was most likely the reason that you were appointed captain of the Enterprise after the incident. You saved the crew of the Enterprise, and you risked your life to save Captain Pike at the time."

"I couldn't have done it without the distraction you created. You risked your life too."

"But together, we succeeded, along with the crew."

"Right. But that still doesn't explain what's happening here and why she blames me or Bones."

"It is something we will have to figure out."

They left Bones' apartment and left the building. Jim took out his communicator. "Solan," he said, knowing he would be waking him up. "Hey, Solan, wake up."

"I hope this is important," Solan said.

Jim chuckled at that. "I wouldn't call you if it wasn't. Bones has been kidnapped."

Solan sat up on his bed. "When? Why?"

"We don't know. It has something to do with this mess that's been happening to me. Just meet us at Starfleet Academy. Get Helek, Ajah, and Korax too."

"You want me to wake them up?"

"Why not?"

"Fine."

"Kirk out."

Jim and Spock got a transport to Starfleet Academy, and it was not long until Solan and the others arrived. It was late, so everything was closed down at the Academy except for a few night classes that were going on. Jim went into the front security office, where there were two young security officers. He saw their eyes go wide when they saw him, and they both jumped up from their chairs and stood at attention.

"At ease," Jim said. "Have you guys seen anything unusual going on out here tonight?"

"No sir!" one of the officers answered.

"I'm not sure what we're looking for, but my…friends and I need to look around here."

"Sir, we would have to have permission from Admiral Barnett to let you be on the campus."

"Then get permission. As you know, I'm also an Admiral in Starfleet, and I can basically go wherever I want to go."

"Yes, sir."

Jim could see the young officer was on the verge of sweating. "But get permission anyway," he said. "And hurry it up."

The officer hurried over to the communications center and sent a message to Admiral Barnett. Jim stood and waited while the transmission went through. It was not long until Admiral Barnett answered. "Kirk, why are you waking me at this ridiculous hour?" he asked.

"I need to look around the campus, Sir," Jim replied. "I didn't want to break any rules."

"That doesn't sound like you at all, but go ahead. Just don't cause any trouble. Is there anything I should know about?"

"Not yet, Sir, but if anything happens you'll be the first to know."

"Barnett out."

The transmission ended. The security officer gave them visitor badges. Jim clamped it on his shirt. "Let's go," he said to Spock and the others.

"Where should we look first, Admiral?" Spock asked.

"I'm not sure," Jim replied. He walked out through the middle of the courtyard that was between the buildings where classes took place, and the dorms were further out. He could remember walking through this area many times, but it was dark right now except for the outside lights, and a light here and there that were on inside the buildings.

Jim stopped and turned to his friends, and he could clearly see Ajah's and Helek's eyes glowing. They had not been completely cured because of dangers to their health, but they could definitely control the electrical charges that were part of their beings. Helek had come to the point that he could even stop his eyes from glowing, and he was trying to teach Ajah how as well. They were both slightly taller than Jim.

Just then, he saw someone coming that way, and at first he thought it was the woman he had seen at his promotion ceremony because of her white skin but then he noticed the black stripes on her face, and he realized it was someone he knew. She also had yellow eyes, but they did not glow. She was looking much different than she did the last time he saw her with a red cadet's uniform on. "Jayla," he said.

"Hello, James T," Jayla replied. "Or I should say, Admiral. I was at your ceremony, but I could not stay afterward because I had to get to class."

"That's okay. How are things going?"

"Fine. I will be an Engineer soon. I do congratulate you on your promotion."

"Thank you."

Jayla looked at the beings who were with Jim. "This is Solan, Ajah, and Helek," Jim said. "Guys, this is Jayla. She was another being we picked up on a planet."

"What brings you here, Admiral?" Jayla asked.

"We're looking for someone."

"Who? Perhaps I can help you."

"Uh…well, we're not sure."

"How can you be looking for someone if you do not know who you look for?" Jayla thought this was just as confusing as the situation had been the first time she had met Jim Kirk and his crew.

"It's hard to explain. Someone has taken Doctor McCoy."

"You mean they are holding him hostage?"

"Yeah."

"And you think he is here?"

"I'm not sure, but this being mentioned the academy. It's something about the academy. Do you know of any places that are secret enough to hide someone?"

Jayla considered that. "Did you know there are tunnels underneath this place?" she asked.

Jim scowled at that. "No."

"There are, and there is also a lower floor that can only be accessed through a secret opening in the library. Not many know of this."

"And how do you know?"

"I am an explorer."

"Right. Can you show us this area?"

"Follow me."

They started walking toward the far building which was the library. "I do not like this uniform much," Jayla said. "It seems to clash with my hair and skin."

"It looks fine," Jim replied. "You better get used to red, because engineers wear red."

"My least favorite color."

They soon arrived at the library and went inside. Jayla led them to a back room in the library where there were books stored. "Wow, Bones would love to get into this," Jim said. "When did they put all this here?"

"You most likely did not spend much time in the library," Spock remarked. "This has been here for years."

"I came to the library."

"I do not believe you came to study, nor to learn what the library had to offer."

"Thanks a lot, Spock."

"You are welcome."

Jim thought he saw a slight smile on Jayla's face with that, but she went on to the secret doorway and pulled on a handle behind a bookshelf. "How did you find this?" Jim asked.

"I am curious," Jayla replied.

Jim watched the secret passage open, and Jayla grabbed a light from a cabinet in a corner and gave it to him. "Thanks," he said.

Jim turned the light on and walked into the passageway which was quite narrow, so they could only walk in single file. "Admiral, I have a class in fifteen minutes," Jayla said. "I do not believe I have time to show you the way."

"That's alright," Jim replied. "Thanks for showing us this."

"There is a large network of tunnels. Why has someone taken Doctor McCoy?"

"I'm not sure yet. She's trying to take vengeance on me for something. I don't even know what yet."

"You said she? You do not know who?"

"No. All I know is that she's a telepath."

Jayla considered that. "If I think of something, I will let you know, James T."

"Thank you, and good luck with your classes."

Jim, Solan, Helek, Ajah, and Spock all went into the passageway. It had no lighting whatsoever, and looked like it was ancient. There were even cobwebs. "Jim, the tricorder is unable to get many readings here," Spock said. "It looks like something is interfering."

"Like what?" Jim asked.

"I am not certain."

Jim stopped and looked ahead of them. He could see nothing but the passageway so far. He went on, and the passageway came to an end at a door. He pressed a button and the door opened, and there was a stairway that led down further than they could see. "Are we really going down there?" Solan asked.

Jim just stood there a moment. "Don't you think we should?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know. I don't see anything down there but darkness."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark, or claustrophobic after crawling through the access tunnels."

"Don't remind me of that. I might not want to join another crew."

Jim smiled, but then he looked down that stairway again. "We have to go down there," he said. "It may be where we have to go to help Bones."

They started down the stairway which was metal. Jim hoped no one attacked them on this thing because there would definitely be no room to maneuver, and he did not know how far down it was. The stairway wound around until they were in what seemed like a huge room or cavern. Jim shined the light around them and most of the wall was rock, but there was a lighted tunnel which led out of the cavern.

"Jim, do you not think it odd that it has been dark in this journey so far and now there is a lighted tunnel?" Spock asked.

"Are you saying you think we're being lured?" Jim asked.

"Since our antagonist is rather unpredictable, and likes to play mind games, it is likely."

They stopped and listened for a moment. "Do you hear water dripping?" Solan asked.

"Water?" Jim whispered.

"That's what it sounds like. What is this down here?"

"Maybe we should have had Jayla stay with us." Jim looked at Helek and Ajah. "Maybe you guys should go back up and wait for us. I wouldn't want you to get in water if it could hurt you."

"It cannot hurt us while we are not drawing power," Helek said. "We have learned more control."

"You sure?"

"We are positive, Admiral," Ajah replied.

"Alright then."

They moved on toward the tunnel that was lit. Jim thought it looked rather odd in this place. It seemed more modern than the rest of it. He turned the light off that Jayla had given him as they moved down the tunnel, but he drew his blaster. They soon made it to the end of the tunnel, and then were out into another cavern.

Jim turned the light back on and they looked around at where they were now. He leaned on the wall. "Maybe we're wrong," he said. "Maybe this is nowhere near the right place. How can we ever find Bones?"

"Remember, she told you that she would send you clues," Spock said. "Perhaps the lighted tunnel was one."

"I don't know. There's no way to know! He could be anywhere!"

"We must concentrate." Spock knew Jim was angry and frustrated, and he himself was worried about Doctor McCoy. "She said that she knew his deepest fear. Do you know what that is?"

Jim rubbed his eyes. "Bones has complained about so many things, I don't know," he said.

"Was there ever a time when he was truly fearful rather than just pointing out the most dire situation? When you were in training or when you were anywhere else?"

"Training…I remember the obstacle course," Jim said with almost a smile. "He hated the obstacle course. _What do I need this for? I'm a doctor, not a soldier_." He thought a moment. "I do remember there was one part of it that Bones hated the most, and it was that water obstacle. It wasn't like it was deep or anything, but he was so afraid of falling in, he couldn't even swing over it." Jim frowned as he thought about that. "I know what it is…" He looked at Spock. "He said one time that he thought the worst way to die would be drowning. He has a fear of drowning."

Solan scowled. "We heard water dripping earlier," he said.

"It is likely that she would use that fear against him," Spock said.

"We have to find him," Jim said. "But where?"

"I do not believe it will be easy to find him. She will see to that."

Jim just stood there and looked around them. "Hang in there, Bones."


	5. Chapter 5

As Leonard McCoy woke up the first time, he realized he was in what looked like a hospital room. He felt like he was in some sort of dream, and then someone came to the side of the bed. She said something but he could not hear her. He realized his wrists were cuffed to the rails of the bed but he felt too numb to struggle…

The next time he woke up, he felt more alert, but he was not in the hospital room this time. He could not move his arms or legs or any of his body except his head. He realized he was encased in some sort of cage-like structure that came up to his neck. He looked around him as he was becoming more alert, and he was hanging by a large cable in what looked like a large cavern. He was also being lowered on that cable. He could not look down to see what he was heading for.

"Hey!" Bones yelled. Then he felt water on his feet and he gasped. He was being lowered into water! "Hey!"

Bones tried to struggle as the water level rose around him and it was finally up to his neck. He wanted to scream…was this how he would die? Was he going to be drowned? He gasped as he felt the water come up to his chin but then it stopped abruptly as he heard an electronic whine.

"Doctor McCoy," a voice said. "How are you feeling?"

Bones closed his eyes. "Why are you doing this?" he asked as he was trembling with fear.

"Oh, you're always looking for reasons. _Why?_ I think that is your favorite question, isn't it?"

Bones swallowed hard. "Can't you at least tell me why you're doing this?" he asked.

"To make you face your worst fear," the voice replied.

"What does that mean? Are you the one who's been torturing Jim Kirk?"

"Torturing? I wouldn't call it torturing. I just wanted to make him pay."

"Pay for what!?"

Suddenly, Bones heard a loud electronic whir, and he realized he was going down again. "NO!" he yelled but he sucked in a big breath before he was plunged into the water. He could see the surface of the water right above his head as he struggled and tried to keep his lungs full of air.

Just when he thought he was going to lose his battle, he started moving up again, and finally his face was above water. He gasped for air and tried not to let the panic he felt take him over. He was trembling all over as he knew this person could kill him anytime she wanted, and there was nothing he could do about it because he could not move.

"Think back, _Doctor_ McCoy," the voice said. "You'll have plenty of time for thinking before you die your most terrifying and dreaded death. And don't forget, every five minutes, you get to go for a dive, so don't fall asleep."

Bones thought he heard laughing and then everything was silent. "Jim, get me out of here," he said. _Every five minutes?_ He thought about that voice. He had not heard who was talking to Jim, and there was no way for him to know if it was the same person, but he was sure it was. Who else would be doing this? How would Jim ever find him? He had no idea where he was. He did not know how long he had been unconscious after…what? He could not remember what happened, but he had gotten the call from Jim and he got dressed and left his apartment, or maybe he did not leave it. No. As he thought about it, he remembered, he never got out of his apartment. Someone had been there, although he could not remember who. They had shot him with something which he supposed now was some sort of tranquilizer. He vaguely remembered waking up on a bed later.

 _Every five minutes…_

He wanted to panic at the thought of that. "Jim!" he yelled, and then he heard the electronic whine again. He took a breath and then was under the water. He thought it was incredible how quickly five minutes passed. How long would he be under the water? He looked up at the surface which was just beyond his reach, and waited. Maybe he would have greater lung capacity by the time he got out of this. Was that looking on the bright side of waiting to drown every five minutes?

Finally, he was brought back out of the water, and he gasped for air. He wanted to panic but he knew that would do him no good, but he let himself have a sob or two. Would anyone ever find him? What if he would be stuck there until he starved to death? Would his body rot there?

Jim and the others had moved on into the cavern but did not see anything that would indicate that Bones was down there. "How far does this go?" he asked.

"The tricorder cannot decipher that answer," Spock replied. "There is electronic equipment in these caverns, and it deflects the tricorder signal."

"Isn't that odd?" Jim asked.

"It is. One has to wonder if Starfleet even knows this is here."

"Oh, I'm sure they know it's here. Maybe this is some sort of bunker that they intend to use if there's an attack."

"A bunker?" Solan asked. "If it's a bunker, then where are the defenses?"

"I don't think we've seen half of this."

"Admiral, it is unlikely that this is a bunker," Spock said. "If it was, it is not likely that they would want students roaming these corridors."

"Who knows if they knew anyone was down here?" Jim asked. "We're talking about Jayla. She gets into places others don't."

"That is true. However, I do not believe they would have such an easy access to a secret place."

"Well, that kills the bunker theory. So what is it then?"

"That's a good question, Admiral Kirk!" a voice said that sounded like it was coming over an intercom.

Jim and the others squatted and drew their phasers as they looked around them. "Who are you?" Jim asked. "And what have you done with Doctor McCoy?"

"If I told you where he is, it would destroy all the fun. I will tell you that he's facing his worst fear. Do you know what that is? After all, he's your best friend."

"Let him go! You can take me! If this is something you have against me, you have no reason to hurt my friend!"

"But, everyone knows that the way to hurt you most is to hurt your friends, James T. Kirk. You never cared much for yourself anyway. You hated your life because you felt cheated."

"You don't know anything about me!"

The voice laughed. "You were a genius who did nothing but feel sorry for himself and tried to destroy himself, tried to make himself feel alive by brawling and drowning his sorrows so he wouldn't know where he was half the time."

Jim was silent. He did not want his followers to hear this conversation. He did not like who he was then anymore, but it was in the past. "That's in the past!" he said. "I know who I am now!"

"Do you? Send your friends away, and I'll help you find Doctor McCoy."

"No. You know where he is! Tell me!"

"Send your friends away. They have nothing to do with this."

"You cannot let her manipulate you like this," Spock declared.

"Don't tell me what I can't do, Spock," Jim replied.

"She will only try to entrap you as well. You cannot believe that she will let you rescue Doctor McCoy."

"He's right," Solan agreed. "She'll kill both of you."

Jim looked at them, and they knew if he ordered them…no, they did not have to go. He was not their captain anymore. "We're not going," Solan said.

"That's insubordination," Jim replied.

"So? You won't have us court marshaled. Your crew wasn't just your crew. We're your friends."

"And we were not part of your crew," Ajah reminded him. "You cannot order us to leave."

Jim looked at Spock, and he could see he had the same attitude. "Bones is out there somewhere," he said. "He's our friend."

"But we cannot help you or him if we leave," Spock replied. "We should continue our search, and do not let this woman manipulate you. It is not likely that she will lead you to Doctor McCoy, but will simply lead you into a trap."

Jim did not know what to do. They would not leave anyway, so he supposed he might as well not try to make them. He did not want to think about what could be happening to Bones right now. Was she playing with his mind, or was she really torturing him? "Where do we start?" Jim asked feeling helpless.

"If this is your choice, Admiral, I'll simply have to make your quest longer," the voice said. "Do you know what's real and what's not?"

"Who are you? You could at least tell me! What is this about?"

"You really haven't figured it out yet?"

"NO!"

"Oh, it's so strange how the mind works. You suppress memories that are unpleasant, but some of us want to remember them so that we can take action in the future."

"That's insane! I don't know you!"

"You do. You just don't want to remember, but when you sleep again, you will remember."

Jim frowned. He supposed he was most vulnerable when he was sleeping. "I don't think I will," he said. "Because I don't think you're even living in reality! I never did anything to anyone like this!"

"But it's my revenge so I can do what I want! Oh, how cocky you were! You're not so cocky now, are you? You thought nothing could go wrong as long as you were in charge! You and your disbelief in no-win scenarios! That was what was always said about you…you didn't believe in no-win scenarios. I'll bet you still don't. Believe me, you're in a no-win scenario now…Admiral! If you don't cooperate, your friend will drown."

"What do you want me to do?" Jim asked.

"Send your friends away. This is between you and me, and if they don't go, I'll let Doctor McCoy die."

Jim looked at the others. "You have to go," he said.

"Jim, I do not believe this is the wisest course of action," Spock replied.

"You'll have to figure something out."

"You can't expect us to leave you down here with that maniac," Solan declared.

"I have to agree," Korax added. "There is no sense in this."

"It's worse than that," Helek said. "She wants to separate you from your friends so that she can make you vulnerable." His eyes glowed. "I do not like this. How will we be able to help you?"

"I might never find Bones if we don't do what she says," Jim said.

"Do you really believe she's gonna let you find him?" Solan asked. "You've been in enough of these situations that you should know she is not going to let either of you get out of this alive unless we work together and find him ourselves!"

"Yeah, and part of our working together is making the enemy think we're doing one thing when we're doing something else," Jim reminded him.

"But we can't track you down here."

Jim thought a moment. "Jayla seemed to know these tunnels," he said. "Go find her. Tell her what's happening and see what she thinks. You and Korax go and do this. The rest of you…" Jim paused a moment. "You figure it out, Spock."

Spock did not like the idea of leaving Jim down there, but he could see the logic in Jim's move. "We will find a way as we always do," he said.

They all reluctantly turned and walked away from Jim, who walked a little further down the tunnel he was in. "Alright," he said. "I'm alone! Now, where is Bones!"

"I'm not telling you right away, Admiral," the voice said. "I want you to remember, first. Just follow the tunnel."

Jim just stood there a moment, but then he went on forward, slowly, and keeping his phaser out along with the light on his wrist. He came to a curve in the round-shaped tunnel and moved to the other side so he could see around the curve, but it continued to curve to the left so he went on staying on the far side of the tunnel which seemed awfully long. He finally came to the end of the tunnel and a hatch. There were controls beside the hatch that were remarkably similar to Starfleet hatches…no, it was not just similar, it was the same. Why was this here, and where did it lead to? Why did he never know about it?

Jim pressed the button to open the hatch, and he felt a swoosh of air as it opened into a place so dark, he could see nothing in there. He shined his light in and could see that there was what looked like a narrow bridge but he could not see all the way to the other side. However, he thought he could hear water. As he stepped out onto the bridge, the hatch closed, and he heard an electronic beep. He looked back at that hatch a moment as his breath felt like it was short. He had no choice but to go forward. He moved slowly across the bridge which was metal, and at least had metal bars on the sides. He held onto the rail so that if everything started caving in, maybe he could hold onto something and not fall to his death in a dark place he could not even see.

As he walked further, he put his phaser away and made sure it was secure, but then he heard another sound. He looked up in the dark place, and then suddenly, an extremely bright light shined in his face. He held onto the rail with one hand and covered his eyes with the other. That was bright enough to hurt, and his eyes watered. He tried to open his eyes, but he could see nothing but a big yellow spot, and his eyes watered.

"Keep moving, Captain…or I should say, Admiral. I just can't get used to calling you that. Everyone knows you don't deserve it!"

Jim was finally able to get his eyes open again as the light went out, but he could still see that spot before his eyes, especially now that it was dark again. What was she trying to do? Blind him?

"You never think of the people who died during your missions, do you, Kirk?" the voice asked. "You never thought of the ones who died when a hole was ripped in the side of the ship."

"Of course I have!"

"All you cared about was the people you knew!"

"Is that what this is about?! What does Doctor McCoy have to do with that!? And what does it have to do with the academy?"

"That was just to throw you off until I could get you away from your friends. They are quite annoying."

Jim frowned. "Where is Bones?" he asked.

"If I told you, what would you do? You would run to rescue him. You couldn't stand the thought of your friend dying, could you?"

"Tell me where he is!"

"You're not in charge here, Kirk. Maybe if someone else had been in charge all this time, there wouldn't have been so many deaths! Doctor McCoy will stay where he is for now. You will continue into my maze. When you're completely lost, we'll talk again."

"Wait!"

"Don't fall asleep, Kirk."

Jim just stood there a moment as he was in darkness and silence again. Thinking about that reminded him of Bones saying "no, I did my time in the darkness and silence". Bones had always been skeptical about that five year mission, but he had gone along anyway. They had survived it all together…and now, would he die like this? Jim turned his wrist light on and looked across the bridge. "I'm gonna find you, Bones," he said.

Bones was still hanging in the water. He looked up at the dark ceiling of the cavern as his eyelids were starting to feel droopy. He was not sure how long he had been there, nor how many times he had been under the water waiting to be brought back up, each time having the fear that he would not be brought back up and drown. He thought maybe there was one good thing: at least the water was not cold. He wished he could at least move his arms and legs. He thought he could not feel his feet anymore. He was not sure he even had clothes on. No, he had clothes on. He tried to move his arms and legs again and almost panicked for what he thought was the hundredth time. "Jim!" he yelled. He knew Jim must know something was wrong. He struggled again to move his legs and arms, but all he could do was cause the thing he was encased in to spin slightly. Then he heard that electronic whine again. He wanted to scream but he had to take in a breath, and he was under the water again. He struggled to move his arms and legs, and almost lost his breath as he waited to be brought back up again. He thought maybe if he just let the breath go he would…he did not want to die! Could a person cry under the water? He wondered that as he stared at the surface of the water thinking he would pass out this time before he was brought back up but finally, he was back up. He gasped for air, and then yelled, "JIM!"

"Don't worry," the same voice from before said. "Your friend is looking for you."

Bones wanted to sob, but he definitely did not want more water in this tank, or whatever it was. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Tell me something, Doctor. Have you ever decided whether to let someone live or die?"

Bones was not sure how to answer that question. He had seen plenty of people die, but he was not sure he could say that he had decided whether they lived or died. "No!" he said.

"Oh come now, Doctor. You mean you've never killed someone to get them out of their misery'?"

"NO!"

"Maybe I should get you out of your misery for lying!"

Bones barely had time to suck in a breath before he was under the water again. He held his breath until he could not and he watched it bubble to the surface of the water thinking that he was going to die this time, but then he was literally jerked up out of the water. He thought he would not be able to suck in a breath as he hung there, but he finally did and his head was lying back as he felt incredibly weak after that.

"You're not giving up, are you, Doctor?"

Bones did not answer as he just stared up at the ceiling. Is that what one called the top of a cave? He had never liked caves. _Dangerous, dark, ominous._ That's what caves were.

He thought maybe he could not feel his body anymore. How long had he been in here? Every five minutes…how many more times would he survive? He was getting tired, and actually sleepy. Had she just kept them up all night to weaken them before she started her plan?

Jim finally got off that bridge and was now going through what looked like a cave tunnel. Oh, yes, it was definitely a cave, and it looked very damp. Water. They had thought they heard water before. He had to wonder if this was under the Bay. Water was dripping in places, and he was about to get the creeps. As he kept walking, he came to another tunnel that had water standing in it, and seemed to be flowing like a small stream.

"Stop right there, Admiral!" the voice said. Jim was startled, but he stopped. "Leave your phaser right there," she said.

Jim considered that demand. "Why? So I can be helpless?" he asked.

"Leave it…you wouldn't want to find your friend dead, would you?"

Jim finally conceded and took the phaser from the holster and laid it on the floor. He was hoping he was getting closer to Bones as he moved forward again, hearing his feet sloshing through water. As he shined his light around him, he could see white formations on the walls of the cave, and he knew that had to be salt. This cave was definitely close to or under the Bay. He swallowed hard as he thought of that. Why was she luring him down into this? He stopped a moment to try and get his fear under control as he leaned against the wall. He had to help Bones no matter what…


	6. Chapter 6

Solan and Korax exited the tunnel they had been in and hurried out into the library. They would have to find Jayla, and they had no idea what class she was in. However, Solan hoped the computer knew where she was. He stopped at a terminal in the library. "Computer, where is Cadet Jayla?" he asked.

"Cadet Jayla is at Starfleet Training Command Center, Level Two," the computer answered.

Solan did not reply. He simply ran out of the library with Korax following him. "Do you know where this building is?" Korax asked. "I am not familiar with this place."

Solan stopped a moment and then took out a datapad he had with him to look at a map of the place. "Down there!" he said pointing.

They hurried to the building, hoping they would not have to go through any trouble to get inside, but they did not. They hurried up to the second level where the class was. Solan stopped outside the door of the classroom and looked at Korax. "Can we just go barging in there?" he asked.

"This is life or death," Korax reminded him.

"Right."

Solan opened the door and walked into the classroom, and everyone looked at him. He could see Jayla on the other side of the room, but the instructor was not happy about his class being interrupted. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"We have to see Jayla right now," Solan replied. "I'm sorry, Sir. We were sent here by Admiral Kirk to get Jayla."

Jayla hurried over to them, and they went back out into the hallway. "What is happening?" she asked.

"Do you know those tunnels well?" Solan asked.

"Fairly well."

"We need your help."

"Lead on."

They all ran back to the library. "Jayla, where would anyone keep someone down there?" Solan asked. "Somewhere that there's water…if they were wanting to torture them with water."

Jayla considered that. "There is a tunnel on the far side that leads into a large cavern that is under the Bay," she said. "If there was a place, that would be it. It holds standing water."

"Is there any way to get to it other than the way we went before?"

Jayla thought a moment. "There is another passage but I do not know where it starts," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"I could not follow it all the way to its source."

"How did you get to it?"

"You would have to go through the tunnel of water, and then follow it all the way back. It would not help you unless you knew where it started from."

Solan sighed. "Well, which way does it come from?"

"I think it starts somewhere at the dorms."

Solan scowled at that. "Jayla, do you know any telepaths here? Have you seen an Aenar?"

"I don't know what is an Aenar. There are many species here."

"Right. She has long white hair, and you would think she's an albino."

A look of realization came over Jayla's face. "I have seen a being like that," she said. "She has light blue eyes. Her name is Neela. I remember we had the strangest conversation not long after I arrived here. She asked many questions about the captain, James T, and what it was like onboard his ship."

"What kind of questions?"

"Like whether he retrieved bodies that were sucked into space from the ship, and what he did with bodies that died on the ship. I did not know."

Solan looked at Korax. "That's odd," he said.

"I agree," Korax replied. "Why would she ask such questions?"

"Did someone she cared about die aboard the Enterprise?"

"I do not know," Jayla answered. "She never said, but she spoke as though she thought James T does not care for the people aboard his ship. I told her that nothing was further from the truth. He did not leave me behind and I was not even part of his crew."

"And she had hostility toward Jim? There has to be something."

"Perhaps that tunnel entrance is close to Neela's dorm room," Korax said.

"How do we find it though?" Solan asked.

"Neela has a roommate who might know," Jayla said. "Come with me."

Spock, Helek, and Ajah had not left the tunnels, but were trying to find a different route. However, there was no way to get around besides the way they had gone the first time. They could see other tunnels winding through the cavern, but there was no access to them. "What if we get over to that tunnel somehow and crawl on it rather than inside it?" Ajah asked.

"There may not be room above it when it goes into the rock formations," Spock replied. "There must be another way in that Jayla does not know about."

"How do we find it?" Helek asked. "Does this campus have no concern that there are areas like this underneath their school?"

It was a mystery to Spock as well. He had never known of these tunnels when he was at the academy. No one had ever mentioned it. He thought surely someone had discovered them before now. He could not understand who was there at the academy now who had been there when Jim and Doctor McCoy was there either. He noticed another lighted tunnel beneath them, but he did not know how far down it was to the floor of this cave beneath them. However, they had come to the end of the way they were going, because the hatch they now faced would not open. "We need equipment to rappel down to the floor or to that cavern tunnel below," Spock said as he pointed out the dim light.

Helek and Ajah looked down and could see the tunnel. "You think that could be the right way?" Helek asked.

"There is not much alternative but to try and find out."

"So where do we get ropes and stuff like that?"

"In the equipment lockers."

"But neither of us know where that is," Ajah said.

Spock frowned. "We will all have to go and retrieve what we need," he replied. "Come with me. We can do nothing without the proper equipment."

Ajah and Helek followed Spock out of the tunnels, and hurried out of the library. Spock knew time was of the essence…

Solan, Korax, and Jayla arrived at the dorm room where Neela stayed. Jayla knocked on the door, but did not get an answer. "She is probably in class," Jayla said.

Just then, the dorm president came into the hallway. "What are you doing here with these two men?" the woman asked. "You know men are not allowed in this dorm. And I don't think you live here."

"She's trying to help us," Solan declared. "Admiral Kirk sent us to…"

"Admiral Kirk does not have any say over this dormitory." The woman narrowed her eyes. "I remember Jim Kirk vividly. I chased him out of this dorm more than once."

"Look, we're trying to save someone's life! Do you know anything about the tunnels under this academy? Is there an entrance here?"

"Tunnels? I do not know anything about any tunnels under this dorm. Is that how Kirk always managed to get into this dorm?"

"Ma'am, this has nothing to do with that. If you know Jim Kirk, you probably know Leonard McCoy. His life is in danger! If you know anything…"

"The Aenar, Neela," Jayla interrupted. "Do you know where she is? Her roommate, Sierra?"

"Sierra isn't here. I'm supposing she must be in class right now."

"Where?"

"I can't keep up with everyone's class schedule, but if you'll come with me, I'll try and find out."

They followed the woman down to the office where there were surveillance displays. "Hey, where all can you see in this dorm?" Solan asked.

"Every floor, only in the hallways," the woman answered. She looked at her schedules. "Sierra is in Biochemistery which is…"

"I know where that is," Jayla said.

"Thanks," Solan said as they hurried out of the building. "Everyone tells their roommate everything, right?"

"I hope."

Jim had come to the other end of the cave tunnel and walked out into a large chamber. In the center of the chamber was what resembled a bowl, but it seemed to be a formation in the rock of the cave. He had never seen anything quite like it. He could also see a cable up above the "bowl", which seemed to hang from the ceiling down into the bowl. He shined his light up into the ceiling and could see the electronic equipment that the cable was attached to. He thought his heart might have frozen in his chest. "Bones?" he said, and could hear his voice echo in the cavern. "Bones, are you in here?"

Bones still hung in his encasement wondering how he was still alive when he heard someone say his name. No, it was not just "someone"…Jim? What was he doing in this place? _Bones, are you in here?_ "Jim? Jim!" Bones thought he would panic again like he had so many times already. "JIM! Get out of here!"

"Bones, where are you!?"

"Jim, you can't help me!"

Jim looked up with horror as he realized Bones was up there connected to that cable. "Bones, are you…"

"Jim, I'll soon be going under again! I don't know if I can survive again!"

"Bones!"

Jim ran to the other side of the bowl and looked up, and there was actually a ladder on that side. He thought this surely had to be a trap, but…he could not leave Bones in there. He started up the ladder.

"Admiral! You best hurry if you want to save your friend!" the annoying voice said.

"Jim!" Bones practically screamed.

Jim heard the whine of electronic equipment and he could see that the cable lowered. He hurried up the ladder and as he reached the top of the bowl, he could see that Bones was underneath water in the bowl. He got over the side, and without hesitation, he plunged into the water. He swam over to the cage that was holding Bones' body up to his neck. Bones was trying to struggle but he could not. Jim looked for a way to get him out of the case. He noticed that there were latches at certain points all around the case. He had to go to the surface and get more air, and then he dived down again and began releasing the latches. By the time he got them all undone, Bones had stopped moving. Jim grabbed him and pulled him to the surface. He pulled him over to the side of the bowl, and then Bones threw up water. He gasped for air, but just threw up more water. "Bones!" Jim yelled as he was trying to hold Bones up.

Bones coughed and gagged feeling like he could not get air into his lungs. Jim got behind him and did a Heimlich maneuver which he had seen Bones do before. After that, Bones coughed even more but he finally got rid of the water and got air into his lungs again, but Jim was still having to hold him up. "Jim, I can't move my arms and legs," Bones said.

"I've got you," Jim replied as he was trying to hold Bones' head above the water.

"How can we get out of here? We'll both drown! You should have just left me!"

"Are you crazy?"

Jim pulled him over to the side where the ladder had been, but it was not there now. "The ladder's gone!" he said. He reached for the top of the bowl but could not reach it. He had to hold Bones up at the same time he was reaching, and that was no easy task, and he almost lost his hold on Bones when he came back down. "You said you'd give me a chance to help him!"

"No, Admiral, I said I'd give you a chance to find him. That's not the same thing. Now, you've found him. You can die together."

"NO! Let him go!"

"Why? He's just as guilty as you!"

Jim realized a top was sliding from each side of the bowl to close them in. "Hey!" he yelled. "You can't do this!"

"No one will ever find you, Admiral!"

"Jim, climb out!" Bones said. "Get out!"

"I can't!"

"You can if you let go of me!"

"NO! I will not!"

"Jim, you can't die like this!"

Jim pushed Bones up against the wall. "We'll get out of this together!" he said. "She doesn't have Spock and the others."

"I can't move, Jim," Bones said, feeling helpless.

"We're gonna work on that."

"I'm exhausted."

Jim looked up at the narrowing space between the sections that were closing over them. "Jim, get out of here," Bones said. "You could still get out."

"You know I can't do that," Jim replied. "You think I could live with myself if I did that? You wouldn't do it."

"I guess you chose to die with your friend, Admiral," the voice said.

"Can't you at least tell us what this is about before we die?" Jim asked.

The sections stopped. "Okay. I'll tell you. Do you remember a woman named Rikasa?"

Jim scowled as he thought of that. "She was a computer technician," he said. "She…"

"You remember now?"

"A lot of people died that day! Who was she to you?"

"She was my mother! Didn't you wonder why I have blue eyes rather than the usual color of my race? Didn't you wonder why I can even see? But I also inherited my father's mental abilities!"

"It wasn't my fault that…"

"OH, of course it wasn't! It was never your recklessness that caused all those deaths!"

"We were attacked!"

"You wanted to go on that mission! You couldn't wait!"

"What about Bones? He had nothing to do with that!"

"He could have declared you emotionally compromised! We all know you were! But he just stayed quiet because you're his friend!"

Bones was silent. "She's right," he said. "I could have…"

"NO! You couldn't have stopped me! And you know we had to go on that mission!"

"I'm so tired."

"Good bye, Admiral Kirk," the voice said. "Enjoy your death."

The sections above the bowl closed, and Jim and Bones were plunged into darkness. Jim turned his wrist light on. "Maybe if I could get just a little sleep," Bones said. He was trying not to sob. "Jim, I don't want to die like this. I feel like I've died more than once in here already."

"Bones, we can't give up," Jim replied.

"She was right, Jim."

"About what?"

"I have had to do priority treatments. In a tragedy you have to treat who you think will survive. How can I make a decision like that?"

"Stop that, right now! You can't let her play with your mind like that!"

"How long do you think we can survive like this? You can't hold me up forever!"

"That's what a team is all about. They know we're here somewhere."

"But she said we can't get out of here."

"That's what she wants us to think. If those things can be closed, they can be opened."

Bones leaned his head back on the wall of the bowl and closed his eyes. "I'm so tired," he said.

"Move your legs, Bones," Jim replied.

"I can't."

Jim shook him. "Yes you can! That's an order!"

Bones just stared at him a moment. "You always have to bring that in when you don't want any arguments, don't you?"

"Yeah, now move your legs."

Bones closed his eyes and concentrated on moving his legs. "I can't feel my feet," he said.

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I've been so tired. I thought I was going to die, Jim."

"You think there's something in this water that's causing it?"

Bones just closed his eyes. Jim could only hope that the others could find them and get them out of here…

Solan, Korax, and Jayla stood outside the dorm they had just been in. "What are we waiting for?" Jayla asked.

Solan looked down at the ground. "What if there's a basement in this dorm?" he asked. "What if it's right here?"

"We might never find it."

"We've just got to hurry."

They soon arrived at the biochemistry lab. "I hate barging into these places," Solan said.

"Better you than me," Jayla replied.

Solan opened the door and they went in. "Sorry for interrupting, professor, but we're looking for Sierra," he said.

A young woman stood up from one of the tables. "I am Sierra," she said.

"We need to talk to you. Hurry."

Sierra followed them out into the hallway. "I do not know you," she said.

"No, but you know Neela, your roommate."

Sierra frowned. "What do you want with her?"

"Do you know of a tunnel entrance that she's been using?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Look, someone's life is at stake here! Do you know or not?"

Sierra just stood there a moment. "Yes, there is an entrance to a tunnel. It is hard to find if you do not know what you are looking for."

"We need you to show us where it is."

"Why? Whose life is in danger?"

"Doctor McCoy, and possibly Jim Kirk as well! Why does it matter who!?"

"Come with me."

They followed Sierra, and she did not go to the dorm, but to the water recycling facility. "The tunnel is here?" Solan asked.

"Yes," Sierra replied.

"How did she get in here?"

"It's not that hard."

They followed her inside and went around a long corridor till they came to a metal door with a locking wheel on it. Sierra started to turn the wheel but it would not budge. "I don't remember it being that hard to turn," she said.

Korax moved over to the door. "Pardon me," he said. He took hold of the wheel and strained to turn it. It took several turns but he managed to get it open. "I believe it was not intended for you to get in."

"I guess she didn't know I would have a Klingon along. You go down this tunnel, and it leads down into the old treatment facility."

"Water," Solan said thoughtfully. "It has something to do with water."

"But what?" Jayla asked.

"I don't know, but we better be ready because I don't think she's going to want us to rescue them." Solan looked at Jayla. "You shouldn't be involved in this. Go and inform Admiral Barnett and tell him what's happening."

"But it's the middle of the night."

"Well, tell someone. We may need help."

Solan took his blaster out. "I'm not sure a blaster is going to be enough in this situation," he said.

Solan and Korax went on into the tunnel which was dark. "Doesn't anyone believe in having light in tunnels?" Solan asked.

"Probably not," Korax answered. "Do you believe we are going the right way?"

"We can only hope."

Spock, Helek, and Ajah were back in the tunnels, and had their equipment. Spock could not understand why they could not contact the others on communicators, but he figured their antagonist had something to do with that. They got over the side of the rail on the bridge they were on, and repelled down to the tunnel they could see, and it was precarious footing until they got inside that tunnel as well because they had to crawl through a small opening. They left the repelling lines there so if they had to, they could use them again.

Spock took out his tricorder, but could get no readings. "Something blocks the signal of the tricorder even here," he said.

"Why do I get the feeling we're walking into a trap?" Helek asked.

"Because we most likely are. However, we have faced enough adversity to know how to react in most situations."

"Most," Ajah said. "I hope this doesn't turn out to be one that we can't get out of."

Spock did not respond to that. They had to move forward no matter what they would face because their friends were depending on them. He drew his phaser as they moved down the tunnel which was dripping water, and had white crystals on the walls which Spock was sure was salt. He had the tricorder recording their direction as they went so they could get out faster. Maybe they would have a better picture of the layout of the tunnels after they got out.

They were now sloshing through water in the tunnel which ran through the tunnel like a small stream. They soon came to a large cavern, and just as they entered, Solan and Korax came out on the other side. "There was definitely another way in here," Solan said.

"As we found," Spock replied. "It seems that we have all come to the same point, however."

"Which is where?" Solan asked as he looked up at the large bowl-like structure in the center. "What is that?"

"It appears to be a large cistern."

They all stared at that bowl a moment. "There's nowhere else to go in these tunnels," Solan said.

"What are you saying?" Helek asked as his eyes started to glow.

"He is saying that…our friends may be in this cistern," Ajah said with his eyes glowing also.

They ran around to the other side of the cistern, but there was no way to get up to the top of it. "Jim!" Solan yelled. "Jim!"

There was no sound for what seemed like a long time, but then they heard a faint voice that was unmistakable. _We're in here!_

Solan and Spock looked at each other. "They're in there," Solan said looking horrified.

"We have to find a way to get them out," Spock replied.

"Do you really think I would make it easy for you to get them out?" the same voice asked who had been taunting them before.

They heard what sounded like grinding, and realized there were shield doors dropping to close all the entrances. "Go, Solan!" Spock yelled. "Get help!"

Solan did not want to leave them, but he did not have time to think and dived under the shield door before it was all the way down to the floor. It clanged down to the floor as he rolled over. He got up and he was back in the tunnel with water in the bottom again. He stared at the door a moment but then he turned and ran. He had to find his way out of this place and find someone, anyone who knew something about this old water treatment facility. There had to be someone…he took a deep breath as he was running and started thinking. Yes, he knew who would know. He ran faster as he had a purpose now!


	7. Chapter 7

Jim hoped he had not been hearing things as he thought he heard someone say his name. "Bones, did you hear that?" he asked.

Bones did not say anything. He was still sleeping. Jim shook him slightly as he wondered if he was asleep or just passed out. "Bones. I think I heard someone," he said. "Bones, come on."

Jim wondered how much longer he could keep treading water and holding Bones up. He thought it had been more than an hour already. He was starting to get tired, and his muscles were getting tense as well. What would he do if he started having a cramp? He liked swimming, but he certainly did not do it all the time, and was not used to treading water like this for so long. He did not think Bones was going to wake up, so he was on his own. He had to concentrate on keeping Bones' head above water, and keeping himself afloat as well. Since he had Bones up against the wall of the cistern, it helped him to keep him afloat.

Jim tried putting his foot on the side of the cistern but it slipped off when he tried to put pressure on it and he almost went under along with Bones. He supposed he should not try that again. He could feel his muscles tensing though and he knew he was going to start cramping. He shook Bones slightly. "Bones, you have to wake up," he said. "Come on." He patted his face.

Bones moved his head a little and actually pushed Jim's hand away. "Leave me alone," he said.

"Bones! You're moving your arm. Wake up!"

Bones finally opened his eyes and blinked a moment. He realized he had not been dreaming all that. He looked at Jim who still had his wrist light on so they could at least see each other. "How long was I out?" he asked.

"Not long," Jim replied. "But my legs are starting to cramp. You moved your arm, Bones. Can you move your legs?"

Bones tried to move his legs, and he could move them now. "Am I moving them?" he asked. "I can't feel them."

"You are. See if you can tread water."

Bones began treading water even though he could not feel his legs much. However, as he started moving, he could feel them more. "I'm so sleepy," he said.

"I think there's something in this water," Jim replied. "But I heard someone out there. They called my name. I think it was Solan."

"They found us?"

"I think so."

Jim groaned as his right thigh suddenly cramped up. There was nothing for him to grab onto except Bones, but he knew he could not hold him up. "What's wrong?" Bones asked.

"My right calf!" Jim exclaimed. "It's cramping!"

Bones grabbed Jim from behind. "Pull that leg up behind you," he said. "Stretch it."

Jim pulled his right ankle with his left arm and pulled, which relieved the cramp. "That hurt."

"You're gonna have to massage that calf."

Jim tried to do that while Bones was helping him stay afloat, and it was no easy task. "And you thought the water obstacle was bad," Jim remarked.

"I've come a long way since then," Bones said. "I went through therapy about fear of water. I don't think I would have made it through this if I hadn't."

They both leaned against the side of the bowl. Bones looked up at the top which seemed far away. "You know if one of us gave the other a boost, we might be able to reach the top," he said.

"And do what?" Jim asked. "We can't get out. And it's kinda hard to give someone a boost while in the water."

"It was a thought."

Spock and the others circled the cistern, but there was no way to get up to the top of it, and they could not get out of the cavern to get to their repelling equipment either. "I could give you a boost and perhaps you could reach the top of the cistern," Korax said.

"It might give us a better idea of what we are dealing with but I am almost certain that the top is closed," Spock replied.

"She would not make it so easy for us to get them out."

While Korax gave Spock a boost to get up to the top of the cistern, Helek and Ajah were looking at the electrical conduits that were above the cistern and some were running over to it. "If we could make power run through that, we might be able to open the top," Helek said.

"But it is well-insulated," Ajah pointed out. "I don't think we can get through that, and it is clear we have nothing to cut it with."

"Unless we use Korax's bat'leth or kut'luch."

"That's an idea. However, if we do not use the right relay, we could make things worse. We do not know what all is involved with this contraption. We would not want to trigger something that would start a process with the water. After all, this is a water treatment facility."

Helek frowned at that. "You always have to think of something bad that could happen," he said.

"Weighing all the possibilities may stop a catastrophe. After all, we want to rescue the admiral and the doctor, not cause them to be boiled alive or to be ran through a water treatment process."

"Okay. You don't have to go on about it. I sure hope Solan finds some way to get us out of here then, because we're stuck in this cavern."

Spock got up to the top of the cistern and looked over it. He could definitely see that it was closed on the top. "There are two sections that come together in the center," he said. "Jim, are you in there?"

Jim and Bones heard Spock. "Yes!" Jim yelled. "We're in the cistern!"

"We are trying to find a way to free you. Is there anything on the inside?"

"No! Just water!"

"Do you know how she closed this?"

"No!"

"Is Doctor McCoy okay?"

"Well, he's alive!"

Spock got down, and they went around to the side where Helek and Ajah had been studying the power relays. Spock scanned them with the tricorder. "Thankfully, the interference is not preventing me from seeing the power conduits," he said.

They studied the power cords that went to the electronic part of the cistern, and narrowed down the ones that went to the top. "I think I should cut that cable," Helek said. He took Korax's kut'luch and began slicing through the insulation of the cable. Of course, as he got to the wires within, the electricity sparked. He looked down at Spock and the others with his eyes glowing, and with a slight smile. "I needed a charge anyway."

"This is no time for joking," Ajah replied as he and Korax were holding Helek up.

"You're just jealous."

"Will you just send a charge through that to open it?"

"I will when I get hold of the right wire." Helek found the main wire and let go an electrical charge that caused an alarm to sound in the place. "I hope that's not a bad thing. I know this is the right wire."

With a loud groan, the sections of the cover on the cistern began sliding back. "It's working," Helek said.

Finally, the sections were all the way open and Helek could see Jim and Doctor McCoy down in the water. "I see them!" he called. "I don't know how we'll get them out though. It's at least three feet down from the rim."

Jim looked up to see Helek's glowing eyes looking down at them. He felt relieved even if they were still in the water. "You got a rope?" he asked.

"Well, we had some, but we're cut off from them. She closed off this chamber."

"What else you got?"

"Uh, well, we have a bat'leth, a kut'luch, a tricorder…"

"I would say we could use the bat'leth but that wouldn't work."

Spock was trying to think of a solution to the problem. "We seem to be out of options," he said.

"I could hang over this if someone was holding onto me and let them climb out over me," Helek said. "Or maybe I could pull them out if you guys hold onto my feet."

"Try."

Helek leaned further into the cistern as Korax and Ajah held his feet. He stretched to reach Doctor McCoy's hand as Jim was pushing him up. Helek finally reached his hands. "I've got him!" he said.

Korax and Ajah pulled him out as he held onto Bones, and he finally got Bones over the side of the cistern. Spock helped Bones down as he almost fell. He got him over to the wall and set him down, but Bones was asleep by the time he sat down.

Helek was reaching for Jim and finally got hold of his hands, and they pulled him out. His legs felt weak after all that time in the water as well. He looked at Helek. "Thanks," he said.

"Don't mention it," Helek replied.

Jim looked around the chamber they were in and could see their predicament. "Where's Solan?" he asked.

"I ordered him to get out before the doors closed," Spock said. "Hopefully he has found some help by this time."

Solan had gotten a transport over to an old section of town where he had hung out quite a lot in the past, and that was where he had met an old ship captain, who was the captain of a sea-faring ship, but he had also worked in that old water treatment facility, and he would know every way there was to get into that cavern and open anything inside it. He had to be careful approaching Captain Tank's abode, however, because although things had become technologically advanced in this century, Captain Tank had not changed much from his protectiveness toward his realm. He was not called Tank for nothing.

Captain Tank lived in a very old tug boat that Solan figured should have been recycled long ago, but he thought everyone around there thought it gave the harbor character, and they liked having old Captain Tank around. Solan could remember many times that he sat and listened to Tank talk about his seafaring days. All those times he had ran away from home, and Tank had finally said he could stay with him until he found his way. He had even helped Solan get his ship. He supposed Tank was like a grandfather to him.

Solan approached the old tug boat that leaned much too far to one side for his comfort, but when one stepped on that old boat, they could feel its sturdiness. "Solan!"

Solan almost flinched as he heard Tank yell his name. "It's me, Tank!" he called. "I need to talk to you! We have a big problem."

"Come on in here!"

Solan climbed onto the old, rickety boat, thankful that the ocean was calm today. Nevertheless, the old boat creaked as it moved gently. He walked into the living area that smelled like old leather and pipe smoke, where Tank sat in his chair. Tank had a thick, whitish gray beard that seemed to cover most of his face, and Solan wondered if he had ever shaved it. His hair was much the same but it was only down to his collar. He had blue eyes in the middle of all that hair, and if he stood up, he was 6'5" tall.

"What's going on?" Tank asked with his rough, bulldog-like voice.

"Some friends of mine are trapped in that old water treatment facility under the…"

"Trapped? What are they doing down in there? Sightseeing?"

"No. It's a long story, but I need you to come with me so we can get them out of there! Some of our friends are stuck in a cistern in…"

That was enough to make Tank stand up. "In the cistern?"

"Yes, and they may be drowning even as we speak."

"How did they get in there? That place was supposed to be sealed off long ago."

"One of them was kidnapped and taken in there and the other was lured in there trying to rescue him," Solan said. "We have to hurry, Tank. If she thinks they're about to escape, she's liable to…"

"She could turn that whole chamber into a watery grave, that's what!" Tank declared.

. "You mean she can let water in there?"

"Yeah! If she knows how!"

"Is there another way in?"

"You better believe there is. You just best be ready to get wet."

"Oh, why did you have to say it?"

They got in the transport and headed back over to the water treatment facility where they would go in directly. However, Tank knew another way to get down to the chamber where the cistern was. They went inside and Tank took Solan through an area that was only for authorized personnel, but Tank could get in easily. They ran across that dark area that had large pipes and machinery that supposedly no longer functioned.

Next, Tank opened a hatch that looked like it could have been as old as his old tugboat. Solan followed him down a rusty ladder that was just a little too rickety for him, but Tank seemed to be confident. They got down to a concrete floor, and went through another old hatch that led further into the mountain and the tunnels.

"Does this go into the chamber?" Solan asked.

"It goes to the control room for that chamber," Tank replied.

Solan thought that was even better and it might be where Neela was. He just hoped they could get there on time.

Jim and the others had searched around the place, and Helek had even looked over the electrical cords more, but they could not find a way to get out of that chamber. "I see you've escaped my death trap," the annoying voice said suddenly. "No matter. You will never escape this mountain."

Jim sat beside Bones who was still unable to stand up, let alone walk around. "I think I'm drowning," Bones said.

"No you're not," Jim replied. "You're not in the water anymore."

"Salt water. You can escape and drown later if you don't get the proper treatment. I think I'm drowning."

Jim was horrified. "How can we help you?" he asked.

"You can't."

Jim realized Bones sounded like he was wheezing. "No, there has to be a way," Jim argued. "Tell me what to do."

"I'm telling you, Jim. There's not a way."

"There's always a way. What if Helek or Ajah shock you?"

Bones was surprised at that suggestion. "And what? Electrocute me? I'm still wet."

"Would it help if they gave you a small shock?"

"I doubt it. It can't help this. I have to get to a hospital and that's impossible."

Just then, they heard rumbling, and everything around them seemed to vibrate. "What is that?" Jim asked.

They heard what sounded like something slamming into the doors that had slammed down shut when they were sealed into the chamber, and then water began leaking into the chamber slowly under one of the doors. Jim stood up as he gasped.

"Jim! It's water!" Bones exclaimed as he was trying to get up.

Spock and Jim got Bones up between them and followed Helek, Ajah, and Korax to the other side of the chamber. "There's nowhere to hide, Admiral," the voice said. "You and your followers will die a slow, and hopefully painful death."

"You will never get away with this!" Spock declared. "Others know of this, and you will not escape."

"Oh, yes, you're referring to my roommate, Sierra, Jayla, and your other friend, Solan. Well, I know them too. I will be long-gone from here before they can do anything."

"We'll see!" Jim said.

"You have so much confidence in your team, but there are limitations to anyone's abilities."

Just then, Solan and Tank barged into the control room of the facility. "You can decipher our limitations later!" Solan declared as he grabbed Neela and tripped her causing her to fall to the floor. "I don't like treating ladies this way…but you're not a lady!"

"You can't save them!" Neela yelled. "They'll drown!"

"We'll see about that!"

"If you open those chamber doors, they'll be flooded in seconds!" Neela laughed. "You can't rescue them, and if you try, you'll kill them!"

"Shut up!"

Tank was looking at the controls on the panel. "She's right," he said. He looked at Solan. "We'll have to get to the pumps to drain that water out of there."

"I'm afraid to ask, but where are they?" Solan asked.

"It'll take a diving expedition. I can stop it from pouring anymore in there though."

"Do that! That's a good thing."

Tank closed off the pumps. "Now, no more water can get into those tunnels, but I don't know how much more will get into the chamber before we can empty the tunnels."

"We'll just have to hurry. We're taking her to jail!"

"We may not have time for that."

"We're not letting her go."

"I know where we can keep her. We'll put her where we used to put prisoners."

"Fine with me as long as she can't get out."

"Oh, she can't get out."

Solan got Neela up and followed Tank out of the control room, and into another dark tunnel. He knew the codes to the rooms in the place, and he opened one that looked remarkably like a confinement chamber. "You can't leave me in there!" Neela declared.

"Watch us," Solan replied and shoved her in. "You better hope we can get those tunnels drained or we might just forget you're in there."

Tank locked the confinement chamber and they went back to the control room. "How was she talking to them in there?" Solan asked.

"Right here," Tank replied. He even turned on a small monitor that let them see inside the chamber.

"Admiral," Solan said. "Can you hear me?"

Jim and the others were surprised to hear Solan. "Solan?" Jim said.

"Yeah, it's me. Trying to save your hide again. We have to get to the release valves that let the water out of those tunnels. But no more is coming in. You might get a little damp in there, but we'll get you out."

Jim and the others were incredibly relieved. "Thanks, Solan. I'm getting you a promotion for this."

"Don't worry about it, Sir. You've done a lot for me. I'll contact you soon."

"Hurry, Solan. Bones needs medical care!"

"We're hurrying!"

Jim sighed with relief that the water would not keep coming in, but he was worried about Bones. They sat down beside the wall. There was some water there, but not enough to drown them. "When I get out of here, I think Carol and I are going somewhere that it's very dry," Jim said.

Bones had his eyes closed, concentrating on breathing. "I'm having second thoughts about moving to Pacifica," he replied. "I'll be around water all the time."

"It won't be like this. You loved Pacifica when we were there."

"I did, but I also liked Ogus One. That was where we went to see that movie."

Jim smiled. "Yeah, the one that Spock and Scotty took apart for you?"

Bones did not answer and Jim looked at him then. "Bones?"

"My chest hurts."

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do?"

"You can't give me oxygen," Bones said seeming to gasp for air.

"I'm not going to just sit here and watch you die. Now, what can we do?"

"Maybe if they shocked my throat just a little it would calm those muscles down."

"I am willing to try," Ajah said.

Bones showed Ajah where to put his hand on his throat. Bones' whole body jerked when Ajah let go the electrical charge, and it brought on a coughing spasm for Bones. However, when it subsided, he felt like he could get more air into his lungs and his throat was not closing up anymore.

"Thanks," Bones said.

"You are welcome," Ajah replied.

Bones sat there a moment, but his lungs still hurt. He knew he had to have medical treatment or he would die.

Solan followed Tank out to another area of the facility which contained diving gear. "You have to go down there and turn that release valve," Tank said.

"Me?" Solan asked. "You mean I have to go by myself?"

"Son, I'm too old for this kind of stuff."

"Right. You sure this gear still works?"

"Sure. This is Starfleet issue. It's not old."

"Oh."

Solan got into the gear which was a lot like those suits they wore with the helmets, but he also had flippers on and a thruster on his back to propel him through the water faster than he could swim.

"It looks like a hatch wheel," Tank said. "You can't miss it. It's right outside the tubes that intake the water. Just turn it until it opens the valve all the way."

"And that'll drain the water out?"

"No. It'll pump the water out. Once the valve is open, the pumps inside will automatically come on and pump the water out. Then we can get your friends out. Once all the water is pumped out, the valves will reclose."

"Great. Wish me luck."

"Good luck."


	8. Chapter 8

Jim and the others still sat and waited. They could do nothing else. "How could Starfleet not know about this place?" Jim wondered out loud. "It doesn't make sense."

"They may know about it, but do not know that someone has been coming here and planning a plot against us," Spock replied. "It is an old facility."

"Yeah, but those tunnels. They should be closed off. You saw how easy it was for all of us to get into them."

"Too easy."

"I wonder how long she's been planning this."

"It would seem that she was planning it before you arrived back here. How she knew that you would be here now is a mystery."

"Well, I don't think they exactly keep it a secret when someone is making admiral," Bones said without opening his eyes. "It's probably been broadcast for months that we would be coming back."

"It doesn't have anything to do with me becoming an admiral," Jim said. "It has something to do with her mother, Rikasa. She blames me for her death."

"That was not your fault, Jim," Spock declared. "Others died that day as well. And it could not have been yours or Doctor McCoy's fault."

"She thought I should have declared him emotionally compromised," Bones said. "We went on that mission for revenge, and that admiral…"

"Exactly. It was Admiral Marcus's fault that people died that day."

"Still, if I hadn't been so anxious," Jim said. "If I had…"

"You cannot change what happened. We were on the trail of a murderer and had no way of knowing that our warp drive would be sabotaged, nor that Admiral Marcus would show up in a monster ship and try to destroy us. It was not logical."

"Everything is certainly not logical. It's not logical that this woman blames me for the death of her mother, and even blames Bones. He had nothing to do with the decision to go after Khan."

"It is all in the way one perceives a situation."

"I suppose you're right."

Solan dived down and easily found the valves he had to open to make the water pump out. He got over to one of them and grabbed the wheel. He strained for a moment, wishing Korax were there, but finally the wheel began turning, and he opened it all the way. There were three valves, so he went on to the next one. It was not quite as hard to open, but the last one was worse. He strained as much as he could under the water, and then leaned back against the rock and pushed with his feet. The wheel finally gave way and turned. He got it open and then swam back up to the surface. "They're open," he said as Tank helped him out of the water.

"It won't take long for them to pump the water out. Let's go back to the control room."

"Let me get out of this thing first."

Solan got out of the diving equipment and then they went back to the control room. "When those tunnels are pumped out, that light right there will be green," Tank said.

"Great," Solan replied. "How long? We have to help Doctor McCoy."

"Probably about thirty minutes."

"Let's just hope that's not too long."

Solan pressed the button to talk to Jim. "Jim? Admiral?"

"Yeah!" Jim answered.

"You guys alright?"

"We're making it. How's your end?"

"We have the pumps open. They're pumping the water out of the tunnels now."

"Great. How long will that take?"

"Captain Tank says it'll take about thirty minutes."

Jim scowled. "Who?"

"Oh, he's an old friend. I'll tell you later, but if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have found this control room."

"We're gonna have to have a long talk one day, Solan."

Solan chuckled at that. "I'd like to hear some of yours too. Like the dorm mother over there saying she chased you out of there more than once when you were at this academy."

Jim shook his head. "You must have been to some very interesting places tonight."

"I'd say I have. Had to interrupt professors in their classes and everything. Almost got flogged by a dorm mother too."

Jim laughed. "Only you could get around like that, Solan."

Tank was right about the pumps, because after about thirty minutes, the water was out, and they could open the cavern doors. Solan had also gotten a medical team down there as well as security to take Neela to prison where she belonged.

Bones was taken out on a stretcher, and Jim was also taken to the medical bay. He had not swallowed any water while in the cistern, but they would examine him anyway. He just wanted to lie down and rest. However, as soon as he was lying down, Carol came bursting through the door. She stood and looked at him a moment and then crossed over to the bed. Jim thought she looked rather confused.

"I had no way of contacting anyone," he said. "I…"

Carol just kissed him and did not let him finish that sentence. "Then it's over?" she asked.

Jim was a little stunned for a moment. "I think it is."

"I didn't know anything happened until you were here."

"You would have just been worried, and couldn't have helped me."

"I want to hear this story and how you got out of trouble this time."

"I just have the right friends."

"You sure do. Jim, are we never going to have relief from trouble?"

"I don't know, Carol. I know you thought when we got off the ship we would just live peacefully, and I did too, but this was totally unexpected. This woman holds a grudge against Bones and me because her mother died during…" Jim hated bringing up that situation with Khan because it was also when Carol's father died. He had taken the wrong actions but he was still her father. He could remember her words _I can't believe the man who raised me…_ Jim took that to mean that he had been a good father.

"She died during what?" Carol asked.

Jim paused a moment. "When we went after Khan."

Carol frowned. "That was so long ago."

"I know. I didn't even really know her mother until I saw her name on the list of people who died."

"Jim, you can't keep up with everyone on a ship. Besides, that situation was not your fault."

"Wasn't it? I wanted revenge against Khan for killing Pike, and I can say nothing about her wanting revenge."

Carol shook her head. "Jim, what if you had not gone after him?"

"I don't know," Jim replied. "Maybe he would have stayed on Kronos and wouldn't have bothered anyone else."

"You know that's not true. He would have kept attacking until he got to his crew and if he had awoken them…"

"Who knows what the rest of them are like? I had never heard of Khan until all that happened. And then…when we were in the nineteenth century, it didn't change anything."

"It changed us."

Jim looked into her blue eyes. "At least we got to keep that."

"And our beautiful child."

Jim thought when he looked into Carol's eyes he just about forgot everything that was troubling him. "I love you, you know that?" he said.

Carol smiled. "I do, and I love you."

"Even when I make passes at you in the middle of the night after I went out drinking coffee?"

Carol laughed. "Stop."

"Stop," Jim mocked.

"What did I ever do without you?"

"I don't know. I don't think I remember my life before you."

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Jim said.

Solan came in. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I am. Thanks to you. You always seem to know something everyone else doesn't know."

"Well, I try to learn things."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, Admiral."

"I have to get down there and see about Bones."

"Well, he's being treated. He could have died."

"I know. I hope there's something that blocks Neela from using telepathic powers around here."

Solan shifted his feet. "That's kinda what I came to tell you."

"What?" Jim asked.

"They, uh, can't impede her ability to use her telepathy."

"Why not?"

Solan seemed to be struggling with what he had to say. "Spit it out," Jim said.

"She managed to…get out," Solan said.

Jim stood up off the bed then. "What!?"

"She used her telepathic abilities to get out. She's…away."

Jim's mouth dropped open. "Already? How did this happen?"

"I don't know. I didn't go with them. I guess I should have or I should have sent Helek or Korax."

"So, she's out there somewhere. We have to do something about this."

"How?"

"She seems to only be able to bother me when I'm sleeping, but I'm so tired now, all I want to do is go home and sleep till I can't sleep anymore."

"I thought we were finally out of this mess. I'm sorry, Admiral."

"Sorry? For what?"

"For not making sure she was secure."

"Solan, that is not your fault. You need to make sure Bones is secure and that she's not bothering him."

"Right. I'll get on that. Ajah and Korax are here too. Helek is down there watching after Doctor McCoy."

"Good. You get down there too."

"Yes sir."

Solan left the room and went to Doctor McCoy's room. Bones was asleep with an oxygen mask on. However, Solan noticed the heart rate on the monitor was rising. He walked over to the bed and noticed that McCoy was not breathing normally, but seemed to be struggling. "Doctor McCoy!" he yelled.

 _Bones thought he was back in the cistern in that cage again. "You only thought you escaped!" Neela's voice said. "You were here the whole time! You were dreaming!"_

 _"No!" Bones yelled, but he thought she lowered him into the water. He struggled to move as the case held him tight. He stared at the surface of the water as he held his breath…_

Jim walked into Bones' hospital room. "What's going on?" he asked.

"He thinks he's drowning!" Solan exclaimed.

Jim ran over to the bed. "Bones! Wake up! You're dreaming!"

Bones' doctor and nurse came in. "You have to wake him up!" Jim declared. "She's torturing him!"

"He's holding his breath," the doctor said. He gave Bones something to wake him up.

Jim shook him. "Bones! You're not drowning!"

"It doesn't seem to be working."

Spock walked into the room and saw what was happening. He did not hesitate but walked over to the bed and put his fingers on Bones face as he began to try to do a mind-meld.

 _Spock could see Bones struggling when he got into the dream, and he knew he would have to make him think he rescued him from the water. He got him out of the case and pulled him to the surface. Bones gasped for air. "Leonard!" Spock said. "You are not in the water! This is a dream!"_

 _"NO! She said the other was a dream! Get me out of here, Spock!" Bones replied._

 _"Leonard, listen to me! I have never lied to you! I am your friend! You are not in the water!"_

 _Bones stopped struggling then and looked at Spock as he held his fingers on his face. "You are not in the water," Spock said as he finally had his attention. "You are lying in a hospital bed, safe."_

 _"You won't stop me, Spock!" Neela yelled._

 _"You will not win!" Spock replied. He looked at Bones again. "You are not in the water."_

 _Bones closed his eyes and relaxed then._ Spock sighed as he broke that mind-meld, and Bones almost sat straight up in the bed. He looked around him and noticed how many people were around him. "What happened?" he asked. "Did I almost die?"

Jim shook his head as he sighed with relief. "I think he's okay now," he said.

"She was making him think he was still trapped in the cistern," Spock said. "And she was attempting to make him believe that he had only dreamed that he was rescued."

"She's trying to drive us crazy, I think."

Just then, Andrea Farnsworth came into the room. "Leonard?"

Everyone moved back so she could get to the bed. "What happened to you?" she asked.

Bones was not sure how to answer that question because so much had happened. Jim cleared his throat. "Well, I think the rest of us can get out of here so they can talk," he said. He looked at Bones. "I'll see you later."

Bones nodded. He was glad Jim got everyone out, and the room was soon empty except for him and Andrea. He told her what all had happened beginning with Jim having the trouble sleeping that turned out not to be nightmares. "Why would she hold that against you?" Andrea asked.

"She thought I shouldn't have let Jim go on that mission," Bones replied. "I didn't argue with him about it because he's my friend. I told him he wasn't okay, but I couldn't relieve him of command. He would have never forgiven me."

"This is not your fault. It's not Captain Kirk's fault…I mean, Admiral Kirk. Leonard, let's go on to Pacifica. She probably can't reach you there."

"Do you think I can go and hide on Pacifica knowing my friend is here facing this tormentor?"

"Leonard, I want us to go."

"What if she goes there? What then? Do we keep running until we're cornered in some dark corner of the galaxy? That's not how you solve problems. You have to face them. We can't run from this. We have to find this woman and do something about it."

"Oh, no wonder you and Jim Kirk are best friends. You're just alike."

"No we're not. I know you can't run from everything though, and if she follows us there, we'll be alone."

Andrea could see the reason in that. "What are we going to do then?" she asked.

"I don't know. I'm sure Jim will figure something out. He always does."

"How can you get rest if she's going to attack you while you sleep?"

"Well, I guess I'm going to pretend I'm back in medical school and try to stay awake for so long I start seeing things and talking to myself like a crazy man."

"Leonard McCoy, I don't believe I will ever be bored."

"We'll get out of this somehow."

"I'm sure we will."

Jim leaned back against the wall outside Bones' room. "We have to figure out where she is," he said. "Where would she go?"

"It does not seem that anyone knows her well enough to decipher that problem," Spock replied.

"What about her father? She said her mother was human, but her father is an Aenar. Maybe he could help us if he would."

"It is not likely that he would."

"Maybe he could talk to her and talk her out of this."

"If he has the same attitude that she has, it would be a much worse problem than we have now."

"There's only one way to find out. She has to have a file here somewhere, and we need to find out who her father is."

"I will find the information, Admiral."

Spock left, and Jim and the others stood there thinking. "This is going to get the attention of headquarters if it hasn't already," Jim declared. "Admiral Winston is going to have my head. He said more than once that I was becoming a legend."

"It's not your fault," Carol replied. "And if he tries to make it your fault, I'm going to get court marshaled for arguing with an Admiral."

"Carol."

"I'm not kidding. Besides, he's not that unreasonable."

"We'll see. I know he's going to hear about this because it even involved the academy." Jim rubbed his hair. "I don't think I'm ever going to get to sleep again."

"Jim, you have to get some rest."

"How can I? Do I have to go out in space to rest?"

"There's always the Enterprise. If we went out on the Enterprise, do you think she would try to stowaway? And if she did, she would be trapped on the ship."

Jim considered that. "But we couldn't be certain that she would do that," he said.

"If it was announced in some way that you were taking the Enterprise out for one last mission, or that you were going to escape this…terrorist."

"That could work," Solan said. "But are you going to round up the whole crew?"

"It doesn't really take the whole crew to operate the Enterprise. That was just for the five year mission. Fewer people means fewer for her to manipulate like she did the guards in the prison."

"I don't see how she did that."

"She's a telepath. If she can project images into our minds while we sleep, she can project thoughts into someone's minds when she's that close to them."

"I don't know that much about the Aenar."

"I'm surprised, Solan. You usually know something about everything."

"I didn't say I didn't know anything. I said I don't know much."

"She seems to be more powerful that any Aenar I ever saw," Carol remarked.

"She's not even full Aenar either. Maybe being half-human gives her greater insight into human thoughts."

"That could be right."

"We'll certainly go with you, Admiral," Helek said. "She cannot manipulate Ajah and me. I suppose there is one advantage to being…different."

"She can't manipulate Spock either," Jim replied. "That would be three that we'd know for sure couldn't be influenced by her."

"It will be very dangerous," Ajah said. "But I suppose we are all used to danger."

"I agree."

Just then, Jim's communicator chirped at him. "Kirk here," he answered.

"Admiral, I'd like to see you in my office as soon as possible," Admiral Winston said. "I hear you've been stirring things up around here."

Jim almost grimaced at the sternness in Winston's voice. "I'll be there, Sir."

"Don't keep me waiting."

The transmission ended. Jim looked at Carol, and then looked down at himself. "I guess I should change into something more formal," he said. "And something that's not wet."

"I'm going with you," Carol replied. "The baby is with your mother, and you're not going alone."

"Fine. But don't get too feisty."

"You have not seen me feisty yet."

"I'll go with you too if you want," Solan said. "I'll tell him what happened."

"As will we," Helek declared.

"Well, let's all get into our uniforms," Jim said. "I have a feeling we better look our best, but I want someone to stay here with Bones."

"Andrea's here with him," Solan replied.

"Doesn't matter. He needs someone else."

"I will stay," someone else said.

They looked to see that Korax had arrived. "I am afraid that I might be irrational if the admiral tried to blame this situation on you," he said. "So I will stay and guard our friend."

"Okay," Jim said. "Just, uh, don't let anyone in except people we know and doctors and nurses. No one else."

"It shall be done." Korax slapped his fisted hand across his chest.

Jim felt better now as he walked out of the hospital with the others following him. He did not believe anyone was going to want to cross Korax, and he was sure they would have no success at getting into that room without his approval. Jim dreaded going to the admiral, but he would have to explain all this trouble that had transpired during the night, and now it was early morning. He could see the sky graying…another sleepless night. He was trying not to feel exhausted, but it was all starting to get to him.


	9. Chapter 9

Jim Kirk walked toward Starfleet Headquarters as he left his transport, and Carol, Solan, Helek, and Ajah were following close behind. Jim intended to tell the admiral what their plans were, and he hoped he would let them go ahead with it. He did not know another way to get Neela off the planet and keep her from causing anymore havoc at the academy or even headquarters.

They walked into Starfleet Headquarters, and stopped to let the Ensign announce their presence to the admiral. "You can go on in, Sir," the Ensign said as he came back and stood at attention.

"Thanks," Jim replied.

"But the admiral only wants to see you."

Jim wondered why he did not see that coming. Carol grabbed his arm. "I'm going anyway," she said. "I'm your wife and I have a right to be in this meeting. What affects you, affects me and our child."

"Well, if he throws you out, don't say I didn't warn you."

Helek's eyes were glowing. "Why can we not go in and tell him what happened?" he asked.

"He may let you come in and tell your side later. Just stay here."

Jim and Carol went on to Admiral Winston's office. "Well, Kirk, did you take your time getting here?" he asked.

"No sir," Jim replied as he stood at attention. "I was wet, Sir, and I had to change into more formal clothes."

Winston glanced at Carol who was also standing at attention, but he did not say anything. "I thought when you were done with that five year mission, we would have some quiet for a while, Kirk," he said. "Looks like I was wrong." He stopped in front of Jim being just a little taller. "What's this situation? And what does it have to do with Starfleet Academy? I have got professors and Admiral Barnett calling me complaining that you have disrupted classes and even pulled students from classes. You've been running all over the campus, and now I hear there are tunnels under the academy that no one has used in decades. If anyone could dig up something from the past, it would be you, Kirk."

Jim waited to see if Admiral Winston was done before he said anything. "Sir, it's a complicated story," he said.

"It always is."

"But it's not my fault."

"It never is."

"Admiral, Sir, this situation is not Jim's fault," Carol interrupted.

Winston looked at her, and then back at Jim. "Well, tell me about it, Kirk," he said.

"It started when we got back to Earth," Jim said. "I thought I was having nightmares, and I couldn't sleep all night. I was waking up feeling like I was fighting with someone, and keeping Carol awake, falling out of bed. I thought it was just nerves, but when Doctor McCoy analyzed me, he found out I…wasn't dreaming. I was without sleep for two nights, and we found out that there was a telepath who was projecting images into my mind while I was sleeping, and I couldn't remember anything about it. Spock did a mind-meld and…"

"Mister Spock did a mind-meld? Was he authorized to do that?"

"Yes, by Doctor McCoy. He found out what was happening. After my ceremony, she continued to harass me, and she kidnapped B…Doctor McCoy, and she was holding him in an old water treatment facility that is located under the academy. She was dunking him under the water, and I barely got him out in time to save his life. She locked us both in there, and…Spock and the others found us, and Solan managed to get help to get us out. Bones is over there in the medical center now recovering from this. Now, we find out that she has escaped from the prison. She used her telepathy to influence the guards to let her out."

"And you have no idea where she might be."

"No sir, but Spock is trying to find her father so that maybe he can help. We also thought we might take the Enterprise out and maybe she would get aboard somehow, and if we get her out there on the Enterprise, she can't escape. She'll be trapped on the ship."

Admiral Winston paced back and forth as he considered that. "So you want to use the Enterprise to draw her out. How do you intend for her to know that you're going out?"

"How did she know when we were coming back?"

Winston scowled at that. "It was public news."

"Then it can be public news that I'm taking the Enterprise out for one last time, on one last mission."

"We'd have to make it real."

"Then you agree?"

"We can't have a being like that around here. We have to do what we can to get her."

"Maybe we should wait till we find out something about her father, and have the Enterprise idea as a backup plan."

"Do you not think a search would help find her?"

"I don't know," Jim said. "I think she has some place she hides. Who does something like this and doesn't have a plan of escape and a plan to hide?"

"I guess you're right there, but find her, Kirk."

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed."

Jim and Carol left the office. Jim blew out a breath when they got out in the hallway. "So what do we do now?" Carol asked.

"First, we'll find out what Spock has found out and then we'll go from there," Jim replied.

They went outside and got a transport back to their apartment. Jim signaled Spock and waited for him to answer. "Spock here," he answered.

"Have you found any information yet?" Jim asked.

"I have, Admiral. However, Neela's father is on Andor on an expedition which prevents anyone from contacting him. I am afraid he is out of touch."

"I guess that just leaves us one option then. We're not going to take the entire crew, but only a few who are already involved in this. And we're going to make sure it's public news that I'm taking the Enterprise out for one last mission which Admiral Winston is going to lay out for us."

"As you wish. Do you have a list of those who will be going?"

"Not yet, but I'll have it soon. Kirk out."

Jim looked at Carol and she thought she could see the excitement in his eyes at the prospect of taking the Enterprise out. "What if your little trap doesn't work?" Carol asked.

"It has to," Jim replied. "She could never want us to get away from her and have any peace of mind, so she'll have to be tempted."

"But how would she hope to do anything to us aboard the ship?"

"She's been at the academy. She may know a lot about sabotage and stuff like that."

"Are you saying this could be a very dangerous mission?"

"I don't see how it could be any other way. We have to try and get her away from here if we can. I don't think we can find her by searching for her here."

"How can we be sure she's stowing away?"

"We'll use all our tricks of scanning without her knowing we're seeing her."

"And?"

"And what?"

"You want me to stay here, right?"

Jim thought he should have seen that coming. "I don't know what she might do," he said. "She could try to sabotage the ship, or even blow holes in the sides. Who knows?"

"Jim, when this is over, let's go away somewhere to relax."

"That's what I want to do."

They got out of the transport at their apartment and went inside. Just as Jim was about to change clothes, his communicator chirped at him. "Kirk here," he answered.

"Jim, what are you planning?" Bones asked.

"Probably going out on the Enterprise."

"And you think she's going to follow you?"

"Or stow away."

"That's a big maybe."

"I know, but it's better than sitting here waiting and trying to track her down here while she drives us insane keeping us awake all night every night. And she seems to only have a grudge against us so if we're not here, she'll probably leave everyone else alone."

"What about Jayla and Sierra? They helped us. You heard all that Solan told us."

"Yeah, but they weren't really part of this."

"Just don't leave me here."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Kirk out."

Jim changed into his regular Starfleet uniform, although he thought he would rather be wearing jeans. He also had to get his admiral's stripes put on his uniforms. Then again, he was not sure how often he would be wearing these uniforms anymore, and he was sure he would not need as many as he needed while on the five year mission. He just changed into jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. He would take the uniforms and get them fixed before he went on the ship. Everyone knew he was an admiral anyway. He did not see why he had to display it all the time.

Carol came from the bathroom and folded her arms. "Where are you going now?" she asked.

"I'm taking these uniforms and getting my admiral's stripes put on them, so I'll have it done before we go on the Enterprise," Jim said. He sat down on the bed and sighed. "I don't know what to do."

Carol sat down beside him. "I know one thing you have to do and that is get some rest."

"How?"

"How far can she reach?"

"I'm not sure."

"We're going to London to visit my mother before you go off on this mission. And you're going to rest while we're there."

"But Carol, I thought you would just go and stay with her while I'm on this mission."

"Who says I won't? But you cannot keep functioning without sleep. That's why you can't think. Chances are, if we're in London and she's here, she can't do that to you."

"Unless she finds out we're going and follows us."

"Jim."

"Okay. I'll try to have a little optimism. But what am I going to tell the others if I run off to London?"

"I'll tell them if you can't."

An hour later, Jim was in Bones' room. "You're running off to London with all this going on?" Bones asked. "Are you out of your mind?"

"No," Jim said. "I'm going there with Carol until it's time for us to go out on the Enterprise. I'm hoping I can actually get some sleep while I'm there and maybe I can think."

"Well, I guess that would help you. I don't know how far her range is."

"That's the problem. I don't want anyone knowing we're going over there."

Bones shook his head. "I don't see how that will work, Jim. I should be out of here tomorrow. Maybe I'll just go over there with you."

"I have to let Spock know." Jim sat down on the side of the bed. "I've been trying to figure out where she would go. There has to be somewhere that she had planned to go." Jim rubbed his eyes as sitting down made him feel even sleepier.

"Who would know?"

"Maybe she has some sort of journal, but I'm sure she wouldn't just leave it where it could be found."

"Unless she wanted it found, but that wouldn't be likely. Maybe she has a tricorder that records where she goes."

"Why would she?"

"Did you see those tunnels?"

"Yeah, but if she had something like that, she wouldn't leave it where it could be found."

"Maybe her roommate would know and she just doesn't know that she knows."

"Or someone else she trusted."

Jim stood up. "I'll get back to you," he said. "Maybe she has a boyfriend or something."

"You would think of that, wouldn't you?" Bones asked.

"Of course. Take care."

Jim went out the door and got a transport over to the academy. He did not have an easy time getting in this time, however, because Admiral Barnett did not want him on the campus causing anymore trouble. "I'm trying to find this woman who has actually been causing the trouble," Jim declared.

"Sir, we were specifically told that you cannot go on the campus again without the Admiral's approval, and neither can any of your crew," the ensign replied, looking very nervous.

"Well, can you call Jayla up here?"

"It may take a while to find her. Cadets do not carry communicators, you know."

"Yes, I know. I think they should start."

Jim stood and waited for them to find Jayla. She would be the only one who could locate anyone on the campus now that he was not allowed there. He supposed he could understand the Admiral's viewpoint. He had a lot of students that he was responsible for and he could not tolerate all that trouble. However, Jim did not understand him blaming the trouble on him when it was Neela who caused it all. He and Bones had not even come to the academy until she lured him there after capturing Bones and taking him there.

Jim frowned as he thought of that. How did she get Bones into that academy campus with all this security around? He looked at the ensigns who were in the office. "Ensign, I want to ask you a question," he said.

Ensign Jonathan Sparks stood at attention. "Yes sir," he answered.

"Are you on duty here every night?"

"Most nights, Sir."

"You were the last two nights, right?"

"Yes sir."

Jim frowned. "Do you know Neela?"

Sparks swallowed hard enough that Jim heard it. "I know a lot of people around the campus," he said.

"I'm sure you do, but I want to know if you know Neela."

"Yes sir."

"How well do you know her?"

"We've spoken to each other several times."

"Would you call yourself her friend?"

Jim thought Sparks was going to start sweating. He stepped closer to him. "That woman kidnapped my best friend and almost killed him," he said quietly. "Anyone I find out was involved in that is going to have a whole lot of questions to answer, and I'm going to see to it that they are punished to the fullest extent of the law. Now, if you know where this woman is, your best action right now would be to tell me."

Sparks could clearly see the anger in Jim Kirk's blue eyes, and he was an admiral now, and he could surely make his life miserable. "I..."

"You what?"

"If I tell you, she'll kill me."

"How?"

"I don't know, but she will."

"You can help us find her and we can put a stop to all this. We can't let her keep going on with all this or someone is surely going to get hurt or killed. Now, where is she?" Jim was trying to keep his voice calm and not show how angry he already was, but this ensign was trying even his patience. "Where is she!?" he finally yelled.

Sparks flinched visibly and just stood there. Jim glared at him. "Are you choosing to be insubordinate?" he asked. "There's a severe penalty for that."

"I'm sorry, Sir," Sparks replied.

Jim was a bit confused. "Sorry for what?"

Suddenly, Jim felt a pinprick in his thigh. He backed up and could see the top of a dart sticking out of his thigh, but by the time he realized that, he could feel himself sinking to the floor as his body was starting to feel numb. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Sparks came over to him and started to attach a device to him. Jim grabbed his arm, but he could not stop him, and he attached a small device and activated it. Jim realized he was being transported. He grabbed at the device but he could not control his hands now. He glared at Ensign Sparks as he disappeared from the room, going to who knew where to face who knew what…


	10. Chapter 10

Bones got out of the hospital, and Andrea was there to escort him to his apartment, and so was Korax, who had not left the hospital while Bones was in there. Bones tried not to feel apprehensive as he walked outside. He would not let that woman cause him to be afraid. "So, have you heard from Jim?" he asked.

"No," Korax answered. "He has not contacted me."

"He hasn't contacted me either. I thought he might know something by now."

Just then, Solan, Helek, and Ajah arrived in a transport. "Get in," Solan said.

Bones, Andrea, and Korax got into the transport. "What's going on?" Bones asked.

"Something happened over at the academy."

"Like what? Did Jim get in an argument with the admiral?"

"No…well, I don't know, but he was trying to find Jayla because the admiral wouldn't let him on the campus, and he got suspicious of one of the ensigns, and…he was kidnapped."

Bones would have stood up if he could. "What?! How!?

"Ensign Jonathan Sparks. He shot Jim with some sort of dart, and then he attached a transporter device to him, and he was transported out of that office. We have no idea where."

"So, she has Jim!"

Bones could hardly believe what he was hearing. "What about that ensign? Where is he?"

"He's disappeared," Solan said. "The other ensign that was on duty with him was found unconscious. He doesn't know anything."

"How could he escape like that?"

"I guess if he could put a transporter on Jim and transport him out of there, he can get one on himself."

"So, he's probably where Jim is now, safe and sound with…"

Bones rubbed his forehead. "Where's Spock? Does he know about this?"

"Yes. He's running an investigation over there at that academy, and every dorm is being searched now, and everyone is being questioned. If there are any answers over there, he'll find them."

"I hope. What do we do till then? Twiddle our thumbs?"

"It takes time."

"Yeah and what is she doing to Jim while we're trying to find her?"

"Someone has to know something," Helek said. "She can't have kept this entirely a secret. Her photo should be broadcast everywhere so if anyone saw her going anywhere, they would tell us, and maybe that would help us track her down."

"She might see that and move," Ajah replied.

"I doubt it," Solan said. "She most likely won't have anywhere else to go. Jim must have been getting close or she wouldn't have taken those measures."

"How did she know he would come in there anyway?" Bones asked.

"Maybe she thinks logically, or maybe she just planned for the possibility since she knows how clever our admiral is."

"Too clever for his own good. When is he going to learn not to run off alone on something like this."

"Maybe he learned it today."

Jim woke up lying on his back, but he had no idea where he was, and he barely remembered what happened. He looked up at the ceiling, and he thought he must be on a ship, and he also thought it was moving. Suddenly, he remembered what happened. He tried to sit up, but he could not. He was tied down to whatever he was lying on, and he was not sure he could stay awake.

"Just relax, Captain," Neela said as she walked into the room. "You won't have much longer to worry."

"What are you doing?" Jim asked, thinking it sounded very slow.

"You'll see. You're about to know what real fear is."

"Let me go! You're not helping yourself or anyone else by doing this!"

"Maybe not, but at least you'll be dead."

"What kind of life do you think you'll have? If you don't care about that, can't you think about my family!"

"Your family? You've never cared for anyone else but yourself!"

"Yes I have! I almost died on that mission myself! Or I guess you forgot that! It wasn't my fault!"

"Desperation?"

Jim struggled with his restraints. "No matter what you do to me, you will not get away with this!" he declared.

"Who said I was getting away with anything?"

Jim did not know what she meant by that but he struggled. He could not budge the restraints which were holding his arms and chest. He thought about Carol and Alex. He had never been so desperate to find a way out of a situation. He wondered where she was taking him, but then it dawned on him. Was she taking him to Klingon space? He struggled more.

"Where are you taking me!?" he yelled since she had left the room.

"You'll see soon enough, Admiral," Neela replied.

"You're going to Klingon space, aren't you? You're going where it all happened!"

"Well, you're quite clever, Admiral."

"You can't! Don't you know you're risking your own life!?"

"I'll get out before they know I was there."

Jim could only hope that some Klingons who respected him would show up, because he was sure they would show up. If she went to Kronos, Chancellor Gorkon would try to help him, and he hoped the chancellor would realize what was happening.

Spock, Bones, Solan, Helek, Ajah, and Korax paced around a room they were in thinking. Carol, Uhura, and Andrea stood and watched them. "Do you think pacing around this room is going to help?" Uhura asked.

"I have come to a conclusion," Spock said. "Since she failed at her goal which was to kill Jim and the doctor, it is logical to believe that she is taking him somewhere that there will be no Federation interference."

"And just exactly where is that?" Bones asked.

"It is also logical to believe that she may try to kill Jim in the same way that her mother died."

Bones just stood there dumbfounded a moment. "Wait a minute!" he said. "You mean you think she's going to vent him out into space?"

"Precisely. And I also believe that she may go to the place where her mother died."

"Klingon space?!"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Then I will contact the chancellor," Korax said. "They will be on the lookout for a strange ship."

"That will be wise," Spock replied. "We must also get a ship and get on our way there as well, and others will be searching here. I do believe that is her plan, however."

"We can take my ship," Solan said.

"Get it ready. We must all meet at Solan's ship. I will search the databanks and find out if any ships have left on a course for Klingon space."

"You think she's going to file that?" Bones asked.

"She would not want to arouse suspicion until she gets away with her prey."

"Right."

They all scattered. Carol intended to go as well. She would let Jim's mother know, and Alex could stay with her. She wanted to burst into tears, but this was not the time. She could not stand the thought of Jim dying. It would take them almost twelve hours to get to Klingon space, and Neela had a head start.

Korax was sending a transmission to Kronos, and Chancellor Gorkon. "We do not know what sort of ship it is," Korax said as he was talking to Grakar.

"We will be on the lookout," Grakar replied.

"She has Admiral Kirk with her. We believe she intends to vent him into space. You must prevent that."

"We will cripple her ship and transport him if at all possible, or get aboard her ship."

"Do what you can. We will also soon be on our way there."

"It will be good to see you."

"It will be good to see the homeworld, and my friends."

They both saluted in the usual way and then ended the transmission. Spock had suggested that they would need to get into space suits before they arrived at Kronos in case something unforeseen happened and they had to be out in a space environment. He had also found out that there were two ships that laid in a course that would go into Klingon space, and one of them was an Aurora-type shuttlecraft, which was a civilian ship, and a common ship used by the Aenars and Andorians. It was big enough to serve her purpose, but small enough not to be considered a threat.

Soon, they were all on Solan's ship, and Spock had informed Admiral Winston of what was happening. He was also deeply concerned about Kirk as he sat in his office. Jim had been very involved in bringing peace between the Federation and the Klingons. He was sure the Klingons would do their best to help Jim Kirk. The chancellor had great respect for Kirk, and Korax had contacted them. He thought maybe he would contact the chancellor himself.

Carol stood on the ship as they were at warp on their way to Klingon space once again. She just hoped this would be the last time they had to go out after Jim. She thought about what he had said, that he wanted a place of their own that was more private. She hoped they got that chance now.

"We don't even know how far ahead of us she is," Uhura said as she sat behind the pilot's seat, where Solan sat.

"We have to keep our hope," Solan replied.

Bones sighed. "Not even Jim can survive being vented into space," he said. "Determination can't do anything about that."

"That is true," Spock agreed. "However, we must hope the Klingons can stop her from accomplishing her goal now that they know what type of ship to look for."

"There was a time when I never would have thought we would be depending on the Klingons for anything except to attack us."

"One simply must realize that things change, Doctor."

"Yeah, especially when Jim Kirk is involved."

Grakar, Dapodi, Lolak, and Jirrok, along with a few other Klingons were aboard a Klingon warbird scanning Klingon space for ships. "She will be coming from Earth," Grakar said. "And we have been sent the coordinates of the place where the Enterprise was attacked here."

"I am on my way there now," Dapodi replied, as he was the one piloting the ship. "How did this woman capture Admiral Kirk?"

"I do not know. However, she has caused much trouble for him and Doctor McCoy on Earth. Her attack was unexpected."

"She is a telepath," Lolak said. "I do not like telepaths. They cannot be trusted."

"The same used to be said of us."

"Yes, but we do not try to manipulate minds. We simply fight."

They arrived at the area where the Enterprise was attacked in Klingon space, and hid behind the same moon that Carol and Bones had gone to open the torpedo. Then, it was all about waiting…

Jim could do nothing but lie there on that bunk and get angrier. Ensign Sparks came into the room, and Jim glared at him. "If we both get out of this, I'm going to see to it that you are court marshaled, sent to prison without parole, and anything else I can think of for your punishment!" he declared.

"You won't be in any position to do anything," Sparks replied.

Jim pulled at his restraints. "How did you get such an attitude?"

"I guess from being pushed around by people like you. I don't have to be respectful to you now."

Sparks walked over to Jim and backhanded him across the face. Jim tasted blood in his mouth but he glared at Sparks. "I hope they don't kill you," he said. "Because I want the opportunity to make you suffer."

"You're harder to discourage than she thinks," Sparks replied. "Do you really think anyone can get to you in time?"

"You just better be looking for it!"

Sparks scowled at Jim's sureness. He had never met anyone quite like him. "You never give up, do you?" he asked.

"No! Why don't you let me out of these restraints and try hitting me like that?"

"I never got to harass an admiral before."

Sparks punched Jim in the stomach and then punched him in the face twice. However, Neela walked in. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"He has a smart mouth," Sparks said. "I've been harassed by admirals, but never got to punch one till now."

"Don't be so stupid. Once we get rid of him, we're going to disappear into the galaxy, and they'll never find us."

"You mean I can't have any fun at all?"

Neela just looked at Jim Kirk as he gasped for air. "I don't suppose it would hurt anything about our plans," she said. "But don't kill him. And don't turn him loose. He's dangerous."

Neela turned and left, and Jim glared at Sparks. "You're a coward!" Jim declared. "You think you want to beat me up while I can't defend myself? You're so afraid of me, you have to keep me tied up!" Jim was hoping he could hurt the guy's ego and he would let him loose anyway. "You have to follow orders from her because you can't make decisions for yourself!"

"Why don't you shut up?"

"No wonder you're only an ensign!"

Sparks hit Jim so hard, his head swam, but he glared at him anyway as though that punch did not hurt. "Is that all you got?" he taunted.

Jim endured an onslaught of punches that were not all to the head. He grimaced and thought that taunting did not work out like he thought it would. He supposed Neela had the guy convinced that they would get away with this plot. "You must think you're something beating someone up who can't fight back," he said. Jim could see he was making Sparks even angrier, and that was his goal because if he could make him angry enough, he would let him loose.

Sparks looked toward the front of the ship where Neela had gone. "You're not as tough or as smart as you think you are, Admiral," he said. "You're just trying to make me let you go."

Jim sighed as Sparks left the room. Well, that did not work like he wanted it to. All he got was some more bruises. He thought he probably had some bruises from the restraints as well. It was a metal clamp that closed down over him as though it were made to fit over him. He wondered just how closely that woman had been studying him. He was starting to get the creeps. He thought his weariness would overtake him because he was lying down, but he had to stay awake. He was sure she would torture him if he let himself fall asleep. He knew it took twelve hours to get to Klingon space, or nearly that many. Could he really keep himself awake for twelve hours? Yes, he would have to.

Bones paced back and forth on Solan's ship. Twelve hours was a long time, and he did not think he was going to sleep a wink. Helek was also pacing. He had been making electricity displays with his fingers and making his hair glow. He thought all the people on this ship had gotten used to his way of dealing with stress. They hardly looked at him funny anymore when he was doing all that. Ajah, on the other hand, always thought he was just showing out. Ajah was usually quiet and writing something. His way of dealing with stress was different than most since he usually just wrote something to pretend he was somewhere else.

Solan had not worked on his ship in quite a while, so he was doing that at this time, trying to clean relays and make it run a little smoother, as usual. He always thought if he could make something better, that was the thing to do. Spock sat in the floor beside the terminal that Solan was working on, studying something on a tablet. "If you need help, I will be glad to assist," Spock said.

"If I need help, I'll let you know," Solan replied as he was reaching into the terminal. "All I want to do is improve this conduit a little. It'll run faster and just plain do better."

"You work on your ship to relieve stress, do you not?"

"Sometimes."

"I do not see how tinkering with wires and other parts of a ship can relieve stress."

"That's because you don't enjoy it. I do."

Spock thought he could see the logic in that. "I think humans enjoy strange things that seem like work."

"You don't like work? I thought all Vulcans wanted to be useful and productive."

"We do. However, work does not seem to be a stress reliever, nor something to enjoy."

"It is if you enjoy what you're doing."

"Vulcans do not separate one thing from another. We simply do what is necessary, and do other things for enjoyment."

"Oh. Well, okay then. But getting into the innards of my ship just gets my mind off our admiral in the hands of some crazy telepath who wants to vent him into space, and if we don't get there in time, he'll be a frozen piece of space debris. I don't like thinking about that, so I'm working."

"You use work to get your mind off something that worries you."

"Yeah."

"That is fairly logical. If one is concentrating, they cannot think of things that worry them."

Bones came in on that last statement. "What are you doing? Trying to figure out the logic in taking a ship apart?" he asked.

"He is," Solan answered before Spock could say anything. "It's driving me nuts."

"I did not realize I was bothering you," Spock said.

"You're not exactly bothering me. You're just keeping me from concentrating and defeating my purpose for being here anyway."

"I see. My conversation is distracting you."

"Yeah."

"In other words, he wants you to shut up, Spock," Bones said.

Solan looked at Bones. "That is not what I said. I just wish he would talk about something else."

"I believe I am too preoccupied to talk about anything else," Spock admitted.

Bones just sat down in the floor too. "It's hard not to think about it," he said. "What does this woman think she's going to accomplish by doing this?"

"People who are bent on revenge do not usually think logically or rationally. She is only thinking of the fact that she wants to kill Jim, not of the consequences that will surely follow that action, especially since she is going to have Klingons waiting for her when she gets there, and she should know that we will figure out what she is doing as well."

"So, you're saying that she's so bent on revenge that she's crazy," Bones said.

"I am not sure that is the word I would use."

Korax came in there next. "Is this the meeting area?" he asked and sat down.

"It must be," Solan said. "I never had such an audience when I was tinkering."

"This ship is a pretty good bachelor pad, right?" Bones asked. "You just flew around the galaxy in it?"

"Pretty much."

"Are you telling me you never had a co-pilot or anything?"

"Sure I did. My brother was with me till that…Heegat killed him."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that. How did that happen?"

"It's a long story."

"What else do we have to do? We're in this thing for twelve hours."

Solan was silent a few minutes as he analyzed wires and pulled the right ones out. Then he sat down to work. "Well, he and I went to deliver some stuff to the Klingons, and as you know, the Nausicaans are mostly pirates, and they wanted what we were taking to the Klingons. Apparently, the Nausicaans like chech'tluth probably more than the Klingons do. I don't know why anyone likes that stuff, but they wanted what we were carrying, but I could outfly them and we got away from them." Solan frowned. "I was carrying the chech'tluth to Rura Penthe part of the time, and I was also carrying it other places, like Ogus One and Risa. We even carried some to Magus Three. That was when we met up with Heegat. He killed my brother while we were trying to get to the ship, or he wounded him so badly that he died shortly after we got off that miserable planet." Solan looked at Bones. "I sure wish you had been around at that time."

"So that's why you wanted to go after Heegat," Spock said. "Even disobeying orders."

"You got it. And I had to clean out those warp plasma filters. Ugh."

Bones could not help but laugh. "That's one thing I have never had to do," he said.

"Lucky you."

"Andrea had to clean those after she stowed away on the ship that we went down to Nervala Four on. She wasn't too happy about that either."

They were all silent for a few moments. "How do you go on with life after you've been in space for five years?" Bones asked. "You wake up somewhere besides the ship, and you're halfway expecting to see your quarters on the ship. Then you realize you're on a planet you haven't seen in five years, and you start remembering all the bad stuff that happened to you while you were living there, and you remember why you left the planet in the first place."

They all just looked at Bones. "What?" he asked. "Don't tell me you haven't woken up thinking you were on the ship and realized you were on the Earth."

"Sure, but I don't think it was quite the same as you," Solan replied. "You have a strange way of telling something."

"So what? Maybe I'm not like everyone else."

"You're sure not."

"I don't think you're so normal."

"Do we start insulting each other now?" Spock asked.

"If that's what you want to call it," Bones answered.

"I find it amusing that we insult each other when we want to avoid stress or thinking about our mission."

"Well, we know we're gonna be in it up to our necks when we get there so we'd just as soon not talk about it now. I'd rather call you a green-blooded hobgoblin."

Solan chuckled at that. "He could call you a rude pessimist too."

"People only call it pessimism because they know it's the truth and they just don't want to face it so they want to put it off on you that you're just looking on the dark side of everything. Being optimistic doesn't always make everything better. Sometimes you just have to face the bad and try to deal with it and get it out of the way."

"And move on to the next bad thing?"

"Yeah."

Korax shook his head. "I have learned much about human bickering since I have been with this crew," he said. "It does seem to occupy one's mind."

"Yeah, cause you have to come up with clever comebacks for everything that's said," Bones replied.

"Only you," Solan said.

"I have been bickering with the doctor longer than any of you, and he always seems to want to have the last word," Spock said.

"And you always want the first one," Bones declared. "So if you want the first one, you can have it, and I'll take the last."

"I did not say that I wanted the first word."

"Face it, you like to bicker too."

Just then, Uhura walked into the corridor. "What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"Talking," they all said at the same time, which surprised them all.

Bones folded his arms. "We've been together for way too long," he said.

"You're talking while sitting in the floor?" Uhura asked. "Why?"

"Well, Solan's working on his ship and we all decided to sit here and keep him company," Bones answered.

"You may join us if you like," Spock added.

Uhura just stood there a moment, but then she sat down beside Spock. "So what are you talking about?" she asked.

"We're mostly talking about bickering," Solan said.

"Why?"

"Because we don't want to think about where we're going."

"Oh."

Bones pulled his jacket tighter around him. "What do you keep the temperature on in this thing? Zero?" he asked.

"We're in space," Solan said.

"Does that mean it has to feel like space in here?"

"It doesn't, but I like to feel some of the cold."

"Guys, shouldn't you be discussing what we're going to do when we get there?" Uhura asked.

Spock had been thinking about that already. "I believe the Klingons will most likely be engaged with our quarry, so we must do what we can to prevent her from venting Jim into space. That is why we are going to be dressed in space suits. If she depressurizes the ship, the shields will be down."

"Yeah, but if you transport in there, you could be sucked out," Solan said.

"True. However, we must be prepared for that contingency as well."

"Well, why didn't we think of that?" Bones asked in his cynical, sarcastic way. "How do we prepare for that? No matter what we do, we're going to be cutting it close to save Jim."

"There is nothing that can be done about that. We must move fast and accurately in order to save him."

Solan thought he was stressed out again. He did not want to see Jim floating out in space. He did what he had intended to do to the ship and then stood up. "I'm going to check our heading," he said and went to the front of the ship.

"I think we ruined his distraction," Bones declared. "I feel so exhausted, but I couldn't sleep if I laid down."

"I don't think any of us are going to be sleeping," Uhura said. "I just don't see how she could kidnap him like that."

"The unexpected. He was standing in the office at Starfleet Academy. She had someone on her side."

"A security guard. That was how she got you onto the campus, but I still don't understand how she managed to get you all the way through there without anyone being suspicious."

"Probably made up some story. I don't know. I was completely out."

"Maybe there were others."

"It is not likely," Spock said. "Too many involved would be a greater risk that someone would find out."

"Now, we just have to hope that someone can get to Jim on time," Bones said. This was one time that he did not want to talk about the dire consequences that could happen if they failed because it would mean that Jim was dead.


	11. Chapter 11

Grakar and the other Klingons were waiting when they detected an Aurora class ship dropping out of warp. "That must be them," Grakar said. "We must intercept that ship!"

"On my way, Sir," Dapodi replied.

Jim knew when the ship he was on stopped. He was trying to think of something he could do when Neela and Sparks came after him. He would not simply let them take him to vent him into space. Soon, his captors came into the room. "Well, Admiral, it's finally time," Neela said. "I only wish I could see the look on your face when you die like my mother did…but oh wait, I probably can since your face will be frozen that way forever!"

Just then, an alarm began sounding in the ship. "What's that?" Neela asked.

Jim was hoping it was Klingons. "You're in Klingon space!" he said. "They don't like strange ships!"

Neela and Sparks ran to the front of the ship, and there were definitely Klingon ships, three to be exact, and they were being hailed. Neela turned the com on.

Grakar stared at the being on the viewscreen, and he knew this was an Aenar, and the one they were looking for because she had blue eyes. "Why are you in Klingon space?" he asked, trying to sound like they were not expecting her.

"We will not be here long," Neela asked.

"You should not be here at all! You will prepare to be boarded."

"No! We will not! We only have some private business to attend to and then we will be gone!"

"You seem to think you have a choice. This is our space, and you have no business here."

Neela turned the screen off. "Let's get into the escape pod," she said. "I'll let him freeze inside the ship!"

She and Sparks ran to the back of the ship after she dropped the shields, and they got into an escape pod. She had a signaler that she could use to open the boarding ramp, and she pressed the button. "Goodbye, Admiral Kirk!" she said.

Jim heard that, and he waited to see what would happen, and then he heard another alarm blaring, and heard what sounded like an explosion. He sucked in a big breath and held it as he heard wind start to howl. He thought she must be intending to freeze him inside the ship and he could not get out of the restraints.

"She has opened the boarding ramp!" Dapodi exclaimed.

The Klingons could see the escape pod heading down toward the moon they had just vacated, and then they saw Solan's ship drop out of warp. "Hail them!" Grakar said.

Solan was soon on the viewscreen. "She has opened the boarding ramp on the ship!" Dapodi said. "We can only assume that Kirk is aboard!"

Spock and the others heard that. "Get us aboard that ship!" he said.

"I'm locking onto you right now!" Solan said. He moved the lever that transported Spock, Bones, and Helek over to the other ship.

When they got inside the ship, they would have been sucked out as well if they had not been wearing magnetic boots. Spock hurried to the back of the ship to close the boarding ramp while Bones and Helek tried to find Jim, and did find him lying restrained on what looked like a table. He was already practically frozen, but he was not unconscious.

Spock reached the back of the ship and hit the button that would close the boarding ramp. He watched as it lifted slowly and finally closed with a loud swoosh of air. He locked the boarding ramp and then headed up to where Bones and Helek were, along with Jim, who was shivering now. "We have to get him out of here," Bones said. "We can't get him off this table!"

Spock and Helek looked at the mechanism that was holding Jim to the table. "Let's pull together," Spock said.

They both got hold of the metal bar that held Jim to the table and pulled at the same time, but it would not budge. "There must be a way to get it open," Bones said. "She had to want to take him out of there."

They looked but could not find anything that looked like it would open it. Spock grabbed his communicator. "Solan, can you transport the admiral from this ship?" he asked.

Solan was silent a moment. "Something's interfering," he said.

"We may need some of your tools. We cannot get the admiral out of this device."

"Alright. I'll get some of them over there."

Solan went to the back of his ship and grabbed some tools and put them into a bag. "I'm taking them," Carol declared. "You stay here and operate this ship."

"Fine," Solan replied. "I'll transport you now."

Carol was soon appearing on the other ship. Spock was waiting for her and she followed him to where Jim was. Carol touched Jim's hair and it felt stiff with cold and frost. "Jim?"

Jim was still shivering but he looked up at her. Spock began working on the mechanism that was holding the bar, and he finally got it loose. They got Jim up, and called Solan to beam them back to his ship.

When they got aboard, Solan had warmed the ship up. They wrapped Jim in thermal blankets and Bones gave him oxygen. He finally stopped looking frosted and blue, but he was still shivering. He sat in the seat behind Solan's pilot's seat so they could talk to Grakar.

"I am glad they could get to you in time, Admiral," Grakar said. "I am sorry that we could not stop her, but she is being detained even as we speak. The other warbirds went down to the moon where she thought to hide. She will not escape this time."

"Just be careful," Jim said. "She has those telepathic powers."

"She cannot have influence over a Klingon. We are strong minded and strong willed."

Lolak stepped into the picture then. "It is good to see you alive, young Admiral," he said.

Jim smiled. "You're gonna have to tell me how old you are some day," he replied.

"I think it will not be today. Congratulations on your promotion."

"Thank you." Jim's smile faded. "I want that Jonathan Sparks," he said. "He's going to answer for what he did in a Federation Court."

"We will give him to you when we have him," Grakar replied. "You may come to Kronos and stay until you are recovered if you wish."

"I appreciate that, but we have to get back home."

"What should we do with Neela? We can prosecute her here if you wish."

Jim considered that. "Where would she go?"

"To a penal colony for the rest of her life for attempted murder. She will not escape."

"Sounds good to me, but what about her mental abilities?"

"Perhaps you should speak with her own people and find out how they would penalize one of this sort."

"That's probably a good idea. You guys just hold her on Kronos until we find out. Don't let her manipulate anyone. She can project dreams into your head while you sleep. We'll get in touch with Andor and find out what to do."

"We will wait for your instructions."

"Kirk out."

After an hour, they had finally gotten in touch with Andor, and the authorities on Andor agreed to take Neela into custody themselves, and would punish her for her crimes. Of course, they had the means to suppress telepathic abilities, and they assured Jim that she would not be able to escape. "You can pick her up on Kronos," Jim said. "We'll give you a full report of what she has done if that's what you require."

"It would make our task easier," the chancellor said. "We will involve the Aenar in this trial as well, but she will not bother you again."

"I'm glad to hear that. It's been a very rough week for us."

"We will arrive at Kronos in two days. I take it the Klingons will be expecting us?"

"Yes. I'll inform them that you'll be coming for her and they'll turn her over to you."

"Very well."

Jim yawned after he ended that transmission. He let Grakar know what the Andorian Chancellor had said, and Grakar told them that Jonathan Sparks was aboard their ship and ready for transport. "Good," Jim said. "We're ready to receive him too."

Korax and Spock had phasers ready when Jonathan Sparks appeared on the ship. Jim stood between them with a glare on his face, and Sparks definitely had some fear on his. "Now, we'll get to that insubordination," Jim said. "Oh, and striking an officer, kidnapping, aiding and abedding a would-be murderer, and anything else I can think of. Right now, you're going to our Brig. And since you don't have your little telepathic friend, you're going to be staying there."

Korax kept Sparks covered while Spock put stun cuffs on him, and then they took him to the storage compartments. They chained him to the floor in the corner of the compartment after making sure he had no weapons or anything. "Get comfortable, because you will be here until we arrive back on Earth," Spock said. "And I would not advise you to try anything. The Admiral is quite displeased with your actions."

They put the cover back over the compartment and then went back to the front of the ship where Jim had sat down in the seat behind the co-pilot's seat. "I wish to stay on Kronos, Admiral," Korax said. "I thank you for allowing me to stay aboard your ship, but I would like to spend time with my family and friends on Kronos now."

"Sure," Jim replied.

"I will remember that I also have friends on Earth."

"You sure do." Jim looked at Solan. "Let's transport him down to Kronos and then be on our way."

"Yes sir," Solan replied. He got closer to the planet and then they transported Korax down after getting coordinates. Solan was laying in a course for Earth, and they were soon at warp.

Jim leaned back in the seat and was asleep. "No, you're not sleeping here," Solan said. "He needs to be on a bed. Let's get him up."

Jim did not want to get up, but Solan and Spock got him up anyway and took him back to another part of the ship. Solan opened the door and there was a bed in that room. They put Jim on the bed, and he did not even move as they covered him up. As they were leaving the room, Carol met them at the door. "Step right in, Madam," Solan said.

Carol went on into the room. She intended to sleep right along with Jim the whole way. Solan closed the door. "Helek, don't let anyone disturb them," he said.

"I do not believe anyone would, but I will make sure," Helek replied.

"Good. I think I could use a few Z's myself. I'll be in the cockpit."

Solan passed by Bones who was also conked out on a cot. "Take it easy," Solan said, and went on to the front of the ship. He leaned back in the pilot's seat. He hoped he woke up to stop the ship when they got to Earth, but he was sure he would because the ship would alarm.

The others on the ship suddenly realized how long they had been up as well, and it was a very quiet ride back to Earth. Solan did not sleep the whole way, but he certainly did not disturb anyone else who did. He dropped the ship out of warp and was glad to see the Earth in his viewscreen. He could see the Enterprise still docked at its space dock in the distance. He missed that ship because he had felt like he was someone important aboard that ship, and now…he would be alone again once everyone scattered. He was not sure where he wanted to go. He had no official rank in Starfleet, and he had basically been a guest aboard the Enterprise because Jim had taken him in. He had learned a great deal, but now he did not know where he belonged in the galaxy.

They were soon down on Earth again, and Solan sat there a moment, but then Spock came to the front of the ship. "We are ready to disembark," he said.

"Right, I'm coming," Solan replied.

Jim definitely felt more rested now, and felt like he was actually awake, and so did Bones. Carol felt rested for the first time in…well, she did not know how long. But it had been good to just sleep and have no disturbances.

Jim spent the whole day explaining everything that had happened to Admiral Winston, and after two days, he testified at Jonathan Sparks' court marshall, and he made sure he did not forget any details. Bones even testified about the injuries that Jim had when they found him. Sparks was sentenced to a penal colony for a very long sentence. Jim stood in front of him. "Maybe next time you'll make better decisions," he said.

Sparks just frowned and did not say anything, but Jim could see the hate in his eyes. It was no matter, however. He had more important things to do than to worry over anymore legal stuff.

Jim hurried back to his apartment and changed into jeans and a sweater, and then went to meet Carol and Alex at a restaurant. Before he went inside, he met Spock and Uhura. "Admiral, I wanted to let you know that Uhura and I are leaving today," Spock said.

"Well, I'm gonna miss you guys," Jim replied.

"I will miss you as well, Jim."

Jim could not help but smile as he remembered the first time he told Spock he would miss him. "Take care, Spock."

Spock raised his right hand in the traditional Vulcan salute. "Live long and prosper."

Jim nodded. He looked at Uhura. "Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble," he said.

Uhura smiled and hugged Jim. "It has been a pleasure serving with you, Admiral," she said.

"You too… _Nyota_."

Uhura could not help but laugh. She and Spock turned and walked back to their transport as Jim watched. He supposed he should not feel so sad. He could talk to them any time, but talking over a transmission was not like talking face to face with someone.

Jim went into the restaurant where Carol was waiting for him. He smiled as he saw her and Alex. He sat down at the table with them, and then Bones and Andrea walked in.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," Bones said.

"What for?" Jim asked.

"We're about to leave."

Jim tried not to frown, but he stood up. He did not know how to say goodbye to Leonard McCoy…his best friend. They had been together since they met. "Don't get all mushy," Bones said, but he thought he might himself. "It's inevitable that people have to part some time."

"I know," Jim replied. "I've never hugged you, Bones, but today, I'm going to."

Bones did not care and grabbed Jim in a warm hug. "I don't know what to say," Jim said. "I hope you'll be happy."

"You stay happy, Jim, and stay out of trouble. I'll be a long way away now, and I can't just run over here and paste you back together."

Jim shook his head. "I'll try. You try not to be so pessimistic."

"Forget it."

They were silent a moment. "I'm not saying goodbye," Bones said. "I'm just leaving. I'll see you later."

"Right," Jim replied. "Later." He looked at Andrea. "Good luck."

"Thank you, Sir," Andrea said. "I have to say goodbye to Alex." She went over to him and hugged him. "You be a good boy, and I'll be seeing you." She kissed him on the forehead and then went back over to Bones.

Bones waved to Carol and then they left the restaurant. Jim sat down and looked at Carol. "Are you alright?" Carol asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jim said. "I guess it's just hard to believe that it's really over."

"It is, but we have a life here, and we're going to enjoy it."

Jim nodded. "I know."

As Bones was boarding his transport that would take him and Andrea to Pacifica, he heard someone yell, "Doctor McCoy!"

Bones looked around and saw Solan coming that way. He ran up to him almost gasping for air because he had been running. "What's wrong?" Bones asked.

"I could take you and Andrea to Pacifica if you want," Solan said. "I don't have anything else to do and I wouldn't mind seeing it again, if you wouldn't mind going on my ship."

Bones considered that a moment. "We already have a transport," he replied. "If we didn't, we would be glad for you to take us."

"Okay. Well, I hope everything goes well for you over there."

"Hey, what are you going to do?"

"Me? Oh, well, there's always jobs for transport, and since I served aboard the Enterprise, I can probably serve on another ship, if not that one."

"Right. Why don't you talk to Jim?"

"Maybe I will."

"Do it."

Solan stood and watched Bones and Andrea board the transport, and then he headed out of the spaceport. He supposed he could talk to Jim and see if he could help him. He had never thought he would be in this position again, with nowhere to go but his ship. He did not like being alone anymore. He was used to being on the Enterprise with all those people around and working with Scotty. He had not even seen Scotty since they got back to Earth. Sulu had left Earth as well to go and stay on Yorktown for a while.

As Solan was about to exit the spaceport, he heard someone say his name. He looked around to see a familiar-looking woman coming that way, although she did not look quite like she did the last time he saw her. "Hi, Solan," she said.

"Priscilla?" Solan replied without hiding his surprise.

"Yes, it's me. I'm not quite as feline as I was before."

"I see. What are you doing on Earth?"

"I knew this is where the Enterprise was coming, and I can't go back to Nervala Four, so I wanted to be somewhere with people I know. I saw Doctor McCoy boarding the transport."

"You didn't say anything to him?"

"I did not get the chance."

"I'm sure you can call him after he gets to Pacifica."

"I would like that."

"So, have you ever been to Earth before?"

"No. I hope that you will help me know where to go."

Solan smiled. "I'd be happy to," he said. He thought maybe he did not feel so lonely now as they walked out of the spaceport. "Did you hear that Captain Kirk is an Admiral now?"

"No, I did not," Priscilla answered. "What does that mean?"

"It means he can yell at more people."

Priscilla giggled at that, and her laugh still sounded just a little feline. "They could not get rid of all the changes," she said.

"That's alright. It gives you character."

"You have quite a lot of character, Solan. I should like to hear more about you."

"I've got plenty of time."


End file.
